


Out of Every Dream I've Had, the Best by far is You

by Falling4You_MN



Series: Dream [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, India, M/M, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Sexual Harrassment, Strangers to Lovers, basically just the character names and some traits, mention of sexual assault, study abroad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 30,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23017282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falling4You_MN/pseuds/Falling4You_MN
Summary: Jughead Jones signs up for a study abroad program to India on whim. He expects to leave his boring, upstate New York existence for some adventure. What he doesn't expect is to meet the love of his life. But her life is not as perfect as it seems. Is Jughead up for the challenge? Can love really conquer all?
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Kevin Keller/Moose Mason
Series: Dream [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674544
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	1. Meet Cute

Chapter 1: Meet Cute  
October 20, 2016, 4:30 PM  
Jughead didn’t know why he was at this meeting. He wanted to study abroad, not spend months before doing “prep work” and getting to know the classmates he was attending with. He was a loner. That’s why the exotic location of India appealed to him from the start. It was unconventional and it wouldn’t attract the stereotypical college crew. You know the type, the frat bros who cared more about their next lay than having a quality conversation. But here he sat, in a room full of people who, while unconventional, fit a different type of stereotype that he somehow loathed even more. The wannabe hipster. The ones who wore birkenstocks and beanies (his, on the other hand, was completely NOT ironic), recycled because it was trendy, and were probably going to India for yoga or some dumb shit like that.  
Conversation mulled around him, when suddenly Jughead’s breath was taken away. In walked the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her bright, blue eyes made his heart skip a beat, and she had a smile that lit up every room she came in. When he saw her, he knew immediately she was someone he wanted to know. And then she smiled. God, that smile. The second he saw it, Jughead knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her smile.  
The beautiful girl took the open seat next to him, and reached her hand over the desk and introduced herself. “I’m Betty,” she said. “Jughead,” he barely choked out. She smiled at him, and was about to ask him a question when a large, athletic-typed red head swooped in and wrapped Betty in a hug. Jughead quickly recognized the man as Archie, a popular rugby player on campus. They shared a lot of mutual friends, and hung out a few times and he had heard about his cute girlfriend. He was the loud, exciting type. Though not the typical college athlete type, he did fit certain molds, such as the reigning beer pong champion at campus parties. Of course someone as beautiful as her would be dating someone like him.  
“Betty!” the guy shouted in the hug. Betty giggled as jealousy seeped through Jughead. Her laugh was his new favorite sound, and it was slowly killing him that the sound was elicited by someone else.  
Archie quickly occupied the open seat next to Betty, scooting his chair closer to her. Betty turned her body to welcome Jughead into the conversation. “Arch, this is” “Jughead, good to see ya, man.” Archie interrupted, shaking Jughead’s hand. “You know each other?” Betty questioned.  
“Ya,” Jughead said, “We’ve met a few times. Good to see you too.” Jughead seethed.  
The meeting progressed as expected. There were awkward “get to know you” games, followed by goals for the trip. Throughout the whole meeting, Jughead kept catching himself staring at the beautiful girl next to him. He noticed how she spun her pen in her fingers, how she would cross her leg and bounce her foot, how Archie would continually lean over and whisper in her ear, eliciting a muffled giggle. As stereotypically beautiful she was, he was quickly discovering she was nothing like he expected, in fact, was actually pretty surprising. As he guessed, she was one of the people going to India because of her interest in yoga. But she also was a rock climber, runner, and triathlete. She was interested in literature and poetry, studying Journalism and Gender Studies in college. She loved photography, and would rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Even though Jughead thought she was far too beautiful to be behind. She said she chose India to expand her worldview and live in a culture that was completely different than her own. She wanted to see the world through the eyes of the people who lived it. In every sense, she was an enigma. An enigma he wanted to crack. As he was memorizing her features, he somehow missed the end of the meeting, only alerted when the object of his affection began packing her bag.  
As he began to pack his things, Archie came over to him. “I’m glad you’re coming on this trip, dude! Seems like it will be a great group.”  
“Ya man, thanks, you too.” Jughead stated. “Your girlfriend is beautiful by the way” Jughead said, gesturing at Betty who had taken up conversation with another girl in the group.  
“Who, Betty?” Archie scoffed, “Betty is the farthest thing from my girlfriend. She’s like, my best friend. Practically a sister. That would be like, so wrong.” Archie laughed.  
“We grew up next door to each other, and I am dating her best friend.” Archie said. “You should ask for her number.”  
“What?” Jughead stumbled.  
“Look, I saw you staring. You’re obviously into her, and from what I know about you, you’re a good guy. Plus, she’s too polite to say no.”  
Jughead mulled. She’s single. She was easily the most interesting person in the room, and obviously the most beautiful. He clearly was obsessed, and he had a shot.  
Jughead skirted away from Archie and came up to Betty, who turned immediately and smiled at him.  
“Sorry we were interrupted earlier, Arch can be quite the attention whore,” she stated with a wink.  
“Haha no worries,” Jughead said bashfully, “But, umm, would you want to continue the conversation?” he asked nervously.  
“Like, now?” Betty asked.  
“Now, or whenever. We could get coffee, or tea, or whatever,” Jughead rambled nervously.  
“I love coffee.” Betty said, stopping the ramble. “And I’m free now.”  
“Ok, so” Jughead stuttered.  
“Let’s go get some coffee.” Betty said. “Though, maybe you should stick to decaf.” She said with a wink.  
He was in love. Head over heels, completely taken.


	2. Decaf

Chapter 2: Decaf  
October 20, 2016, 5: 30 PM  
Jughead and Betty walked to the cute coffee shop in town. On the way, they chatted about school, what led them to the small, Liberal Arts college in Upstate New York, and career goals.  
“I want to make a difference somehow.” Betty said. “Especially for girls. I am not sure what that will look like, but I know its my passion.”  
“That’s amazing.” Jughead said. “You’re incredible.” he thought to himself.   
They entered the coffee shop, and settled into a cozy booth in the back. As Betty settled, he took her coffee order, a small latte with 2%, to the register. Her smile lit up upon his return, graciously accepting the hot beverage.   
“So, Jughead,” Betty stated. “Tell me about yourself.”  
“Oh, uh, where to begin… I’m from Alaska, Wasila, which is like a suburb of Anchorage if it had suburbs, but it doesn’t, really…” Jughead rambled. Maybe she was right about the decaf thing.  
“Alaska, that’s incredible. Hiking Byron Glacier is on my bucket list.”  
“Oh ya, its incredible. Maybe I could take you sometime.” He immediately regretted the words as they came out, eyes quickly focusing on the black coffee in front of him. How presumptuous, idiot. You met this girl an hour ago and already assuming she would come to Alaska with you, he thought to himself.   
“I would like that,” she said, gently placing her hand on his arm. He brought his eyes up to hers, capturing her smiling eyes.   
The conversation continued, about their families, majors, normal first date stuff. They talked for hours, literally. While neither noticed the time pass, suddenly Betty got a call.   
“Veronica?... Oh my gosh, it is?... No, I’m sorry to worry you… I’m fine… Yes, I’ll be back soon… Bye.”   
“Sorry, that was my roommate,” Betty said. “She was getting worried. I should probably go home.”  
“Oh ya, absolutely.” Jughead stammered. “Can I walk you back?”  
“Absolutely.”  
As they exited, Jughead, sparked with some insane courage, slipped his hand into hers. A soft smile broke on Betty’s lips. They walked silently, hand in hand to her building door.   
“Thanks for walking me home.” Betty stalled.   
“Ya, absolutely..” Jughead said. “Could I, umm, get your number?”  
“Of course!” Betty replied, taking his phone and typing in her number. And with an insane stroke of courage on her part, put a heart emoji next to her name. She returned the phone, smiling. “Thanks for the coffee. It was nice to meet you.”   
“Ya, anytime. You’re great company.” Jughead replied.   
“See you around.”  
“Ya, see you.”


	3. Secrets

Chapter 3: Secrets  
October 20, 2016, 8:30 PM  
Betty walked through the front door of her apartment, and leaned against the door smiling.   
“You seem happy.” Veronica stated. “Hot date?” she teased.  
“Actually…” Betty replied.  
“Wait, really?” asked an extremely surprised Veronica.  
“Well, you know that guy I was talking to at the study abroad meeting? The tall guy with the beanie? He asked me to coffee afterwards.”   
“So you’re telling me you have been at coffee with this guy for the last THREE hours?!”  
“I guess so!”  
“Oh my gosh girl, this is huge. HUGE. Are you into him? It’s been so long since you’ve been into someone.”  
“I mean, of course I am. He’s cute, smart,so caring and kind, really funny... “  
“But?”  
“But everything Veronica! I don’t date. Ever since... I can hardly leave the house without having a panic attack, let alone be intimate with someone. Who would want to date me?”  
“Oh honey. You are not broken. What happened to you is terrible, but it doesn’t mean you can never be happy. Just try it. And when you’re ready, tell him. If he is as good of guy as you say, I am sure he will be okay.”  
“Ya, maybe…”  
Betty said goodnight to her roommate, and was left to ponder everything her roommate said. He was amazing. He was the first guy she had even thought about being with since… Maybe it would be okay. But first, she would have to let him in.


	4. Whiskey

Chapter 4: Whiskey  
November 3, 8:30 PM  
It had been two weeks since their coffee date. There had been over a thousand flirty text shared back and forth, but they hadn’t been out since. Betty was super busy, trying to maintain her job and her full course load, which she needed to graduate on time and study abroad next semester. He had memorized her schedule. She worked at an office on campus every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and taught a yoga class in town on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. She was taking a full course load, with three classes on Tuesday and Thursdays, and two classes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. She spent evenings she wasn’t working either in the library, or in her apartment with her roommate, Veronica, who happened to be her best friend. The only weekend since their impromptu date she spent with her sister who was visiting.   
He wasn’t stalking her. But, he had never felt like this before. Jughead wasn’t exactly a ladies man, but he wasn’t a hermit either. He had a few girlfriends, plenty of hookups, and had lost his virginity in high school. He was 6’5 and, by all stereotypes, dreamy. He was stereotypically good looking, nice hair, strong jawline, piercing eyes; but he was aloof enough to leave an aura of mystery, making ladies weak in the knees. He never was really committed with any girl, often being the one to end relationships.   
But this girl. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. As he got to know her since their date, he realized how completely taken he was with her. It was a new feeling for sure, and he didn’t know what to do about it.  
As a way to not obsess over the beautiful girl who had taken his heart, Jughead decided to join his friends at the bar Thursday night. He’s typically not a weeknight drinker, but he needed something, literally anything, to occupy his mind.  
He was sitting at a bar nursing his beer, listening to Reggie discuss something stupid. At least he assumes, because he wasn’t paying attention, when he spotted her. There Betty was sitting at the bar with a very beautiful raven-haired girl, laughing at something she said. And like a magnetic pull, he caught himself excusing himself from his friends to go talk to Betty.   
“Fancy running into you here,” Jughead used as his opening line,eliciting the most perfect smile from the girl occupying all his thoughts.   
“Jug!” She exclaimed, hugging the boy who had been equally occupying her thoughts. “This is my roommate, and best friend, Veronica. V, this is Jughead. He will be going on the trip with us, and we got coffee a few weeks ago.”  
“Jughead, nice to meet you. Weird name, though.” Veronica said, sipping the pink drink that was placed in front of her.  
“The real thing is worse, I promise.” Jughead said, for probably the 1,000th time in his life. “So, what are you ladies up to tonight?”  
“We’re celebrating!” Veronica exclaimed. “Our Betty here has just made huge strides on a project she’s been working on, and I somehow convinced this homebody that she needed to get out and celebrate. Will you be joining us?”  
“Oh, congratulations, Betty, and I mean, if it wouldn’t impose…” Jughead stammered.  
“Of course not,” Veronica replied, “Please, grab a seat!”  
Jughead sat down and began conversing with the girls. Veronica, it turns out, was a socialite. She grew up in New York City, and her father was a wealthy business mogul. She was majoring in business with hopes of one day taking over the empire. Her and Betty were assigned as random roommates their first year, hitting it off immediately. The saying is opposites attract, and it could not be more true with these two. While Betty is soft, with light blonde hair, and wore casual clothes in often light colors; Veronica was dark, raven haired, brown eyed, with a powerful and extremely professional wardrobe. Though neither girl really fit into the seedy college bar vibe, it was very clear Veronica did not belong. The trio chatted for a bit longer, when Veronica excused herself to go talk to someone she knew from class.   
“I am going to go talk to Josie for a sec,” she said to the group, then turning to Betty, “Will you be okay while I’m gone?” looking sincerely into the blonde’s eyes. Jughead had a moment where he thought that was odd. Didn’t he just leave Reggie and Moose in the same way a few minutes earlier?   
“Of course, V. I’m sure Jughead here won’t abandon me,” Betty replied, smiling at the boy in question. “Of course not,” Jughead replied.   
With that, Veronica pranced off to talk to Josie.  
“So, how have you been? I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA! My sister Polly came to introduce me to her new boyfriend last weekend, and I’ve been just swamped with this project…”  
“No need to apologize, Betts” Jughead interrupted, “But congratulations on the project, what was it about?”  
“Oh, well, thank you. So, you know how I told you I work for the Dean’s office on campus? Well as a part of that, I help process sexual assault cases on campus. I have set up, essentially, a support line. Where someone can call and say they were assaulted, and a trained peer representative will meet them somewhere on campus and help them get whatever help they want and need. The representative serves as their advocate through the whole process, if they decide to press charges or report to the school, or whatever they decide.”  
“Wow, Betty, that’s incredible! You are helping a lot of people with that! What made you interested in the topic?” Jughead replied.  
“Oh, well, I know a lot of people it has happened to, and I know, like, for me, it is support I would… want.” Betty replied nervously.   
“Well, you’re definitely are making a difference, and you should be proud.” Jughead said, smiling. He didn’t want to dig too deep into the topic, noticing it was making her pretty uncomfortable. “Can I refill your drink?” He asked, motioning to her now empty cup.  
“Oh! Sure, thank you,” Betty replied as the bartender came over.  
“I’ll take another Bud Light,” Jug ordered, “And she’ll have…”  
“A whiskey sour, thanks.” Betty replied, as the bartender went off to make their drinks.  
“A whiskey girl, huh?” Jug replied, “I wouldn’t have pegged you for that.”  
“Oh ya,” Betty replied, “And what kind of girl do you think I am?” she asked with a tone of flirtation in her voice.   
“Oh, I don’t want to play this game,” Jughead laughed. “I wouldn’t dare offend you by assuming your drink type.” He said with a laugh.  
They drank their second drinks, and continued the conversation. There was a lot of laughter, and a lot of connections made. They both shared an interest in sustainability, both being involved in different environmental clubs throughout the years. They had a pretty large, shared group of mutual friends, making the fact that they hadn’t met earlier surprising. They shared a bit about their dating history. Betty had one serious boyfriend, Trevor, in High School. He was very sweet and they were great friends. When they went off to college, they realized that they just weren’t as attracted to each other as they should be, and mutually ended the relationship. They were still great friends. Jughead shared of his own High School girlfriend, Sabrina, who he dated on and off all throughout high school. He shared how they hooked up throughout his first year of college, but called it off for good the summer before. He shared that he’s seen some people, but nothing serious since then. They discussed their shared interest of literature. Her favorite book was Beloved by Toni Morrison, his was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. They shared a passion for photography, and discussed the benefits and downsides of each of their respective cameras. The conversation continued over one more drink each, and Betty was starting to feel it. She wasn’t much of a drinker, and since the incident, was really cautious with drinking. She began to panic when she realized the alcohol was setting in, and started scanning the bar for Veronica. When she couldn’t find her, she reached full-fledged panic.  
“I have to go,” Betty said suddenly, grabbing her coat and bolting for the door.   
“Betty, wait!” Jughead ran after her.  
He found Betty leaning up against the wall of the bar, breathing heavily. He reached for her shoulder, and she jumped away from him.   
“Hey,” Jughead said calmly, “I’m sorry for scaring you. Can I walk you home?”  
She nodded and they began the trek to her apartment in silence. Jughead wanted to say something, to calm her, but he also didn’t want to further freak her out. As they began approaching her apartment, she spoke, “I’m sorry.”  
“You have nothing to be sorry for Betts.” Jughead replied.  
“I don’t drink very much, and when the alcohol started to hit I got panicky. I get panic attacks.” She replied with caution.  
“Betty,” Jughead replied quickly, “It’s okay. If you ever need an escape, I will always be there if you need me.” While the statement seemed bold, it was completely true. He wanted this relationship, whatever it was, to be something.   
“Thanks, Jughead.” Betty replied. Jughead reached for her hand, and continued the walk to her apartment. When they reached the building door, Betty quietly asked, “Do you want to come inside?”   
“Absolutely.” Jughead replied.


	5. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short one to keep the story going along! We will be taking a time jump in the next chapter!

Chapter 5: Warmth  
Thursday, November 3, 11:30 PM  
Her apartment was exactly how he pictured it. The campus-supplied furniture was decorated with throw pillows and soft blankets. Pictures of Betty and Veronica hung by Christmas lights in the living room. There was a small TV in the corner, and an absurd amount of household plants near the window. It was warm, and welcoming.  
Betty offered him tea, which he accepted. He made himself comfortable on the plush couch when Betty arrived with their teas.  
“Thank you again for walking me home.” Betty said.  
“No problem, any time. Are you okay now?” Jughead asked.  
“Ya, thank you. Like I said, I don’t really ever go out, and I am not a big drinker. I just kind of freaked out when I started to feel it and I didn’t know where Veronica was.” Betty explained. “Not that I didn’t trust you! I just…”  
“No need to explain Betts, you don’t have to explain why being with your best friend when you’re a little drunk is more comfortable.” Jughead replied, trying to be as cautious as possible.  
“I’ve just… I’ve had some bad experiences, and…. I’m not… I don’t really date. I don’t really make new friends, besides the people I meet through Veronica and Archie. I am cautious. And I like you, Jughead. You’re interesting and smart and funny, and I would love to get to know you better. I just... “  
“Betty,” Jughead interrupted. “I want this too. Whatever you want me to be, at whatever pace you need, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”  
“Thanks Jughead.” Betty replied, scooching her body closer to him to place her head on his shoulder. With his arm around her, Jughead tenderly stroked her hair. In the comfortable silence, he wondered who could have hurt this beautiful girl. And when he found out, there would definitely be hell to pay.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Mile High   
December 27, 3:30 PM  
Over the last 6 weeks, Jughead was welcomed more and more into Betty’s world. He learned that not only was Veronica Archie’s girlfriend, but also attending the trip to India with them. Which in no way seemed fitting to Veronica’s persona. He spent several nights with the trio, learning their inner workings. Betty introduced Archie and Veronica at orientation, and the two had been love at first sight. While it would likely be awkward hanging out with a couple, Jughead noticed how quickly that Betty was the center of both Archie and Veronica’s world. They always seemed to keep an eye on her. They weren’t ever hovering or preventing her from being her own person, it just seemed very clear that they were always paying attention.   
In addition to meeting her friends, Jughead and Betty grew significantly closer. They were texting every day. Even when they all parted for Christmas, they kept in contact every day, including a few FaceTime packing sessions. While he wasn’t exactly Betty’s boyfriend, he definitely was more than a friend, and he was looking forward to seeing where this relationship was going to go.   
Classes had ended for the holiday season on the 17th, and the 10 days without Betty were getting to him. He had flown home to Alaska for the holiday, and his flight had just landed at JFK where he would connect with the group (ie. Betty). He had been texting Betty since his flight landed, and was anxiously pacing behind their agreed upon security meeting point. The lines were long because of the holiday, but she should be out any second. Just as he was about to make another lap, he saw her. Her beautiful, blonde hair was tied up into a loose braid. She was wearing leggings and a long sweater, and had a backpacking bag nearly the size of her on her back. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and they met in the middle for a hug.  
“I missed you,” Jughead whispered into her hair.  
“I am so glad you’re here!” Betty squealed. “Veronica and Archie are already here, and want us to meet them in the First Class lounge.”  
Jughead groaned. Somehow the New York socialite convinced him that upgrading all of their tickets from JFK to Delhi to First Class was an acceptable present for someone who had only met him a few months ago. The convincing factor was 18 hours in a seat next to Betty, though he still felt indebted to her somehow.   
“Don’t be silly Jughead.” Veronica stated. “This seriously is like nothing to my family. You paid the expensive part, I am just simply upgrading you to something more comfortable. You seriously want to convince me all 6 feet 5 inches of you was comfortably going to fit in a coach seat?”  
Betty leaned in and whispered, “It takes some getting used to, but this is just what Veronica does Juggie.” His heart melted at the affectionate nickname she had begun to use. “Plus,” she said with a squeeze to his knee, “this way we can sit next to each other. Imagine all the Oscar nominated films you can get me to watch.”

Betty and Jughead met the pair in the lounge. He was handed a mimosa, which claimed was the only acceptable pre-flight drink. Which seemed fishy, because somehow Archie was drinking what appeared to be a bud light. The group caught up about their shared Christmases. Archie and Betty told hilarious stories of their shared holiday, which was something they had done since birth. Archie’s mom left when he was 8, and Betty’s dad died a year later. The two families relied heavily on each other during those times, and the combined holidays seemed to be their parents’ way of making the difficult season less difficult. Jughead shared stories of his time back in Alaska with his family, and Veronica shared a story of a very ritzy holiday spent at no other place than the Ritz Carlton.   
Shortly after the reunion, it was time to board their flight. As promised, Jughead’s seat was right next to Betty, across the aisle from Archie and Veronica. First class was definitely an upgrade, Jughead had never had this much leg room and was definitely grateful. But as soon as they took off, he knew he was going to be indebted to Veronica for much more than leg room. He was enthralled with the beautiful blonde next to him. She was a jitterbug of excitement to finally be taking this trip, and as soon as possible, she pulled out her tablet, showing Jughead the additions she made to her “India bucket list.” They discussed what movies to watch on the flight over a glass of cheap beer, and, even when decided upon, spent much of the time talking. As the overnight portion of the flight went into effect, Betty laid back both their seats and curled herself into Jughead’s side. He definitely was not going to get much sleep, and what sleep he did get, his dreams were occupied by only her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! We are getting to the good stuff now.

Chapter 7: New Year  
December 31, 2016  
The group arrived safely in Delhi, India on December 29. It was definitely an odd group of people. In addition to the four of them, there were 8 other students on this trip. Cheryl Blossom, heir to a maple syrup empire of all things, and Betty’s cousin. Like all people in Betty’s life, she was extremely protective and did not seem to trust Jughead much. Cheryl’s girlfriend Toni Topaz was also along. She was the opposite of her socialite girlfriend in many ways, but the pair seemed really happy together nonetheless. Ethel Muggs was a sweet girl with a big heart to love others. Josie McCoy, the girl Jughead had seen Betty talking to the first time they met, was also on the trip. By far the most stereotypical of the group, she was hoping to reach “spiritual awakening” at one of the numerous yoga retreats she had pre-booked for herself over the next several months. A few athletes like Archie were tagging along. Reggie Mantle was one of Jughead’s friends who played rugby with Archie, along with their teammate Moose Mason. He seemed like a sweet guy, but was pretty quiet. Kevin Keller, a flamboyant gay man who was very close with Betty was also coming, and seemed to already have eyes for Moose. And finally Chic Smith, a very odd guy who didn’t seem to want to fit into the group at all. He was the kind of guy that made Jughead thank God for Betty, otherwise he could have seen himself turn into the weirdo-loner on the trip.   
The first few days in India were spent on guided tours visiting all the major tourist attractions. Jughead was enamored with the culture. Even though Delhi was a major, bustling city, he was fascinated by everything. And his travel companion was equally enamored. She was taking in everything, often behind the lens of her camera. Jughead was also behind his camera, though he noticed quickly that his subject wasn’t the sites, but the beautiful girl taking them in.   
The group all seemed to be enjoying the tourist attractions, but was really looking forward to a night of freedom away from their professors, and New Years Eve was that night. After a day of site-seeing, the group was back at the hotel preparing to go to the club down the street from their hotel to reign in the New Year.   
As per Veronica’s insistence, her and Betty stayed in an upgraded suite down the hall from their group. Betty was always grateful for Veronica’s spoiling, but especially now. Their suite each had their own room, a massive bathroom, and a shower with the best water pressure she ever experienced. She knew the rest of the trip wouldn’t be like this, so she wanted to soak up the moments when she could.   
As Betty relaxed in the bath she drew for herself, she began to worry about the night ahead. She was growing close to Jughead, which she was excited about, but she was paranoid about the relationship moving further physically. She knew she was going to have to tell Jughead what happened to her if she wanted the relationship to progress. Which she did. But other than Archie, Veronica, and Cheryl, no one else knew what happened to her that night freshman year. What if he didn’t want to be with her after hearing about it? What if he thought she was broken, which she so often felt?   
“B!” Veronica shouted, breaking her out of her spiral. “You are the most beautiful girl in the room, you do not need extra primping time like me! Hurry up!” Betty wrapped up her shower, and headed out to the vanity to start on her hair. She let her hair out of the french braids they had been in all day, and her hair and an easy curl to it. She pinned part of it back, and put on her only cute outfit she brought; a black maxi dress, birkenstock sandals, a shiny necklace Veronica had gotten her for her birthday a few years back, and her trusted jean jacket. Not Lodge-approved for clubs in New York, but she figured would suit her just fine in Delhi. Veronica emerged in a beautiful maxi dress with her hair styled just right. Betty quickly disagreed with Veronica’s earlier statement of needing additional primping time.   
The pair left their suite to meet the boys in the lobby to head to the party. As they approached the boys, Veronica pulled Betty aside. “Are you going to be okay tonight? I know there will be drinking, and your beautiful blonde hair is definitely a spectacle.”   
“Ill be fine,” Betty assured her.   
“If you remotely get overwhelmed, you find me and Archie, okay? We will leave immediately.” Veronica continued.   
“I know, I will. Thanks V.” Betty replied.   
“Anything for my girl,” She said, linking arms with Betty and bringing her to the boys.  
Jughead’s mouth went dry when the girls rounded the corner. Betty looked beautiful in the simple dress, and the turquoise in her necklace brought out the green in her eyes. “You look beautiful,” Jughead managed to choke out, giving Betty a hug.   
“Thank you,” she replied with a blush. “I didn’t have many options.”  
“I think you look perfect.” He replied with sincerity.   
“Well, obviously, B is a 10.” Veronica replied. “Let’s go get our drink on!” As she led the group down the block to the club.   
Betty and Jughead held hands as they walked down the block to the club. Based on his first interaction with her and alcohol, Jughead could sense her hesitation. “Hey,” he said, scooping his head low so only she could hear him. “I meant what I said when we first met, if you need to leave, I will go with you.”   
“Thank you,” Betty replied, eyes almost glistening towards him. He was too good to be true, she thought.   
Once they got to the club, they ordered drinks and hit the dance floor. The group danced to the early 2000s hits, and Betty was actually enjoying herself. It helped that her dance partner was hilariously awkward, and also never strayed too far out of her reach. After several songs, Betty and Jughead went to the bar to get another drink. Betty was feeling confident, she didn’t know if it was the alcohol, or the boy who captured her heart, but she wasn’t as nervous as she thought. She was having fun with him and her friends, and she had a glimmer of hope that maybe this could be something.   
“You know,” Betty stated as Jughead handed her the drink, “I have never been kissed at midnight.”  
“Never? Jughead replied. “Not even when you were dating Trev?”  
“No, mine and Archie’s families always went to our cabin over New Years and there was a strict no dates allowed policy. So I’ve never had a midnight kiss.” Betty explained.   
With a newfound confidence, probably from the alcohol, Jughead replied, moving closer, “I guess we have to change that.” As he got close enough that their lips almost touched, Betty backed away flirtatiously, “I guess we will.” And she strutted off to the dance floor.   
This girl will be the death of me, Jughead thought to himself. 

They continued to dance and drink for what felt like hours. Betty was having a blast, enjoying her buzz. She wasn’t drunk by any means, but she was feeling the alcohol for sure, and wasn’t panicked like usual. It soon became time for the countdown. As the group started at 30, Betty looked up at Jughead, counting down the numbers out loud. At 5, she heard Jughead say “Fuck it,” and reached in and kissed her. He kissed her as the crowd chanted, “3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!”   
It was the best dang kiss either of them had ever had. It felt like fireworks, like worlds colliding into perfect harmony. When they broke apart, all Betty could says is “wow” and reach in for round two. The perfect kiss ended when Betty’s butt was pinched hard by a drunken partygoer, and she started to spiral. Jughead quickly stepped in, suggesting they head back early. As soon as the outside air hit Betty’s face, she was immediately calm. The pair walked back, and as soon as they were in the elevator, Betty kissed him again, immediately deepening the kiss and exploring his mouth with her tongue. The door dinged at their floor, and the pair walked down the hall to Betty and Veronica’s suite. At the door, Jughead reached in for a good night kiss, ready to tell Betty it was the best night of his life when she uttered 5 simple words, “Do you want to come in?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger Warning* there is description of sexual assault in this chapter. The story is very personal. Please skip past the middle portion if this makes you uncomfortable or could be triggering in any way. It starts with 'it was freshman year"

Chapter 8: Revelation  
January 1, 2017

“Do you want to come in?” Betty asked. “Veronica has her own room in this suite, and I know Archie will be spending the night. And… I want to… keep this night going.”  
Shocked and thrilled, Jughead quickly responded yes. The pair made their way into the suite. Betty showed him to her room and excused herself to take a shower to wash off the sweat and alcohol from the club. Jughead had no expectations, but he was curious. She welcomed him into her room. She deepened the kiss in the elevator. He hoped that more making out was in his future, but he really didn’t expect much more tonight. Especially considering they had been in this flirt-relationship for nearly 2 months without nothing more than handholding and some cuddles.  
Betty emerged from the shower. She looked more comfortable, dressed in leggings and an oversized university sweatshirt. Comfortable, but nonetheless beautiful. She sat down next to him and they intertwined their hands. “Hi” Betty breathed. “Hi” Jughead responded, searching her eyes for a hint into what she was thinking. Betty reached for his face, and kissed him. This time, Jughead was the one to tentatively deepen it. As they explored each other’s mouths with their tongues, Betty found herself underneath Jughead. Which sent her into a spiral. Suddenly, she was back to that night, and the handsome guy on top of her wasn’t Jughead, but Nick St.Clair. Betty stopped kissing and immediately started hyperventilating. Jughead stopped, and instantly became concerned.  
“Breathe, Betty. Breathe. It’s me. It’s Jughead.”  
Jughead noticed her nails were digging into her palms, and tried to pry her fingers away. “Come on Betty, breathe. It’s me. You’re hurting yourself. Come on baby, come back to me.”  
Slowly her breathing started regulating, life returning to her eyes. “Hey pretty girl, you okay there?” Jughead asked.  
“Ya,” Betty replied. “Can you get me some water?” Jughead immediately got up and grabbed a bottle from the fridge. As she sipped slowly, color began to come back to her face. “I guess I owe you an explanation.” Betty stated.  
“No, Betts, you are not obligated to tell me anything.” Jughead immediately responded.  
“I know, but I want to.” Betty replied, and she began to share her story. 

It was freshman year. Betty and Veronica had been invited to a party at one of the frats on campus. The guys were hot. Dumb, but hot. Betty hadn’t drank in high school, and definitely was still not a frequent drinker. But between the mixie Veronica made them in their dorm and the drink she was given on entering, she was starting to feel it. The girls were dancing and talking to the guys in the frat. One guy was paying special attention to Betty. His name was Nick St. Clair. He was cute, and a little aggressive. He was pushing shots on the girls, and kept grinding up behind Betty when they were dancing. Other than Trev in high school, she didn’t receive a lot of attention from guys before. She was flattered he was taking a special interest in her. As the girls moved from dancing to talking with some of the guys, Nick followed them. When he noticed Betty’s drink was empty, he suggested she came across the hall to get a refill from his own collection. THe bedroom was just across the hall and the door was open, so she felt safe to leave. Veronica was in conversation with one of the other frat brothers she had a class with, and she didn’t notice Betty leave.  
When Betty entered the room, she attempted to stay by the door. But she had more to drink when she realized, and was starting to really feel it. Nick cornered her in the doorway and attempted to kiss her. Betty backed away, “I’m sorry, Nick. you seem great, I’m just not interested.”  
Nick didn’t take that well. Within seconds, she was pulled into his room and onto his bed. He forced her arms above her head and held them down with his forearm. He forced her face up, kissing her forcefully. Betty struggled against him, begging him to stop. “Shut up,” Nick grunted as he unbuttoned and pushed down her jeans. As she cried, Nick forced himself inside of her, ignoring her tears. When he was finished, he stood up, pulled his pants up. He looked at Betty and said “clean yourself up.” and left. Betty cried as she pulled up her pants and wandered out of the party. 

“Betty…” Jughead said with desperation.  
“Veronica found me in our dorm later that night, covered in bruises, unable to speak. She brought me to the campus police and they filed a report, but it was he said-she said and…” Betty trailed off.  
“Son of a bitch!” Jughead shouted, standing up and pacing the room. “He’s still out there?!”  
“He graduated last year… with honors.” Betty responded.  
After a moment of silence, Betty spoke up. “I didn’t want you to think of me differently, but I haven’t been with anyone since then, and... “  
“And when I was on top of you I triggered you.” Jughead understood.  
“It’s not your fault at all!” Betty responded. “I wanted it, I still want it. My brain just didn’t catch up.” They intertwined hands as Jughead responded.  
“Betty, I promise I will never hurt you like that asshole. I think it’s pretty obvious I am into you. You didn’t scare me away. I think I am falling for you even harder because you opened your heart to me even more. You are so strong, and if you’ll have me, I want to figure this out with you. I want to be whatever you need me to be.”  
“Thank you Jughead, that means so much. Can we just… take this slow? I want this too, so badly.” Betty responded and leaned in with a kiss. They kissed slowly, and eventually cuddled up on the bed together, eventually falling asleep.


	9. Falling

Chapter 9: Falling  
January 1, 2017, 8:00 AM  
Jughead woke up with Betty still wrapped in his arms. Despite the pain last night, he knew that this is how he wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of his life. He laid there for a few more minutes, enjoying how her soft breath on his chest. But he knew that he needed to sneak back to his room and grab his things if their professors were to not be suspicious of their unregulated sleepover.   
Jughead snuck out of Betty’s grip, careful to not wake her. He wandered into the living room of the suite to find his bags in the living room. He started confused, but then remembered, Veronica. Of course Veronica had somehow managed to get all of his stuff over unnoticed. That girl could do just about anything.   
Jughead grabbed his change of clothes and headed to the shower. As he was toweling off his hair, he came into connect with none other than Archie Andrews.   
“Hey, good morning man!” Nice night with Betty?” Archie asked. While it sounded nice, there was definitely a ‘big brother’ vibe to it.  
“It was, nice. Really nice. She’s…”  
“Amazing?” Archie finished for him.  
“Ya, definitely amazing.” Jughead replied.  
“Great, great. Well I feel like this goes without saying, but Betty’s the best. She’s been my best friend forever. I love her more than I love anyone, and that includes Veronica. She’s been through hell and back multiple times, and somehow comes out stronger than ever. And this is a cliche, but if you hurt her, I will end you. I’ve failed her before, and I swear to you, I won’t fail her again.”  
Jughead could hear the desperation in his voice. After hearing about all Betty’s been through last night, he knew how much guilt Archie must have harbored. He can’t imagine seeing someone who is basically his sister go through the trauma of a sexual assault, especially after seeing her lose her father at such a young age.   
“I absolutely promise, the only one in this with the power to break hearts is her. I am in this, however she wants me, for as long as she will have me.” Jughead promised.   
Archie seemed satisfied with the answer and headed back into Veronica’s room.   
The four of them got ready to pack their bags and head to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Once packed, the group of 12 and their 2 professors headed off to Agra on their coach bus. The bus ride led to more couple time for the newly paired off Betty and Jughead, or, as Kevin quickly and affectionately dubbed them, Bughead. Betty took the window seat, which allowed Jughead to snuggled into her to watch their surroundings. She pointed out the historic facts she had studied up on before, and Jughead listened intently. Finally, they arrived at the Taj. It was definitely much more breathtaking in person, especially considering it was all made by hand. The group explored and took pictures. Jughead pulled Betty aside. “Lets take a picture together” he suggested. He snuggled Betty into his side and turned his camera to take a selfie. “I think this is my new favorite picture,” Jughead stated upon review. “Me too,” Betty replied with her million watt smile.   
Eventually, the group left the Taj and headed to their hotel, where Betty and Veronica had another fancy suite. Archie claimed Jughead as his roommate, where Archie filled Jughead on the plan to head to the girls suite later that night. Once everyone turned in after dinner, the boys made their way over to the girls suite, where Jughead snuggled into Betty. “I’m glad you’re here.” Betty sighed, falling asleep in his arms. “Me too,” Jughead replied. Yup, he thought, I am definitely falling.


	10. Fear Response

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: description of groping/molesting and ptsd trigger.

Chapter 10: Fear Response  
Early January, 2017  
The group settled into life in Kolkata pretty easily. All the students were staying in one of two large apartment complexes in the city. Betty and Veronica were roommates, of course. Archie and jughead were roommates as well, which definitely benefited the couples. Both couples, along with Cheryl and Toni and Chic and Reggie were at one complex, with the rest of the group at the other.   
The group was told that it would be best to assimilate to the culture in dress. Everyone was expected to be mostly covered and were encouraged to invest in clothing typically worn in India, such as kurtas(tunics) and long skirts. The women on the trip all went shopping during their first full weekend in Kolkata, purchasing plenty of skirts, kurtas, and scarves to keep themselves covered and appropriate for their time there. Of course Veronica was loving the new fashion options, and seemed to already create the most sophisticated Indian-style wardrobe available.   
The entire group had 3 classes together as a group. A language class, where the group was learning the local dialect of Bengali; an art and culture class that allowed them to travel the state of West Bengal, and a social sciences class where they learned about culture and economics. One of their courses they got to enroll in the regular college they attended. Betty had chosen to take something out of her comfort zone and enrolled in the sociology course, while Jughead had opted for Film Studies. Veronica and Archie had chosen to stick together and were taking an economics class at Veronica’s insistence.   
Travel in India was its own beast. While their apartments were centrally located, it still took them a rickshaw, metro, and about 6 blocks of walking to get to school. For the first week, all the students traveled as a group, with Veronica, Archie, and Jughead being extra diligent of the large crowds potentially triggering Betty’s PTSD. But as they settled into their 3rd week, it was growing more difficult to stick together due to their conflicting schedules. Betty’s first opportunity to travel alone was presented on a Friday morning. Archie and Veronica had left early for their morning class, and jughead had one later in the morning, with them all meeting up for their Friday afternoon class. Betty was going to meet them after lunch, taking the morning to skype with her sister back home.   
Betty had no issue finding a rickshaw to take her to the metro that afternoon, and was actually enjoying her freedom. She knew her panic attack on New Years really freaked out her friends, and while she absolutely loved them for the support, it was nice to attempt life on her own again. But when she got to the metro, she noticed it was significantly more crowded than usual. She knew that some trains were reserved for women only, so Betty tried her best to group with the women on the platform. But when the train arrived, Betty got lost in the hustle and ended up stuck in between the women’s train and all-population train. She practiced her breathing and attempted to remain calm on the overpopulated metro. She had 10 stops on the metro until school, but at the next stop, the train became even more crowded, and she found herself pushed against a door that she knew would not open until her stop. Again, Betty attempted to remind herself to remain calm when an older Indian man approached her. He commented on her blonde hair and was attempting conversation about why “such a beautiful young blonde” would be traveling in India. She tried to ignore the man, but he persisted. She suddenly felt him push up against her and grope her breast. Betty’s world froze. She couldn’t move, scream, or do anything to stop the man from assaulting her. Tears streamed down her face, and she counted stops. She heard the signal for her stop, and counted the seconds until the door opened. As soon as the door opened, she pushed past everyone and ran as fast as she could out of the underground metro. As soon as she reached the sidewalk, she reached in her pocket and grabbed her cell phone and called Jughead.   
“Hey Betts, did you make it okay?” Jughead asked. He only heard a slight sobbing as a response. “Betts, hun, are you okay? Where are you?”   
“Just outside the metro stop” Betty responded through tears. Jughead hung up his phone and ran the 6 blocks from school to the stop, completely panicked, looking for Betty. He found her sitting on the step, hands in her face, clearly sobbing.   
“Betts, babe, it’s me.” He said, carefully approaching her, as to not further trigger her.   
When she heard his voice she immediately jumped up into his arms, sobbing into his shirt.  
“Hey, what happened? You gotta talk to me Betts, I’m freaking out here.”  
“There was…. a man… on the metro… he… he”  
“Did someone hurt you? Who?” Jughead responded with fury in his voice.  
“He touched me and I couldn’t move Jughead! I couldn’t scream or stop him! I just stood there as he touched me… everywhere.”   
“Son of a bitch! Who was it Betty?” Jughead shouted in anger.  
“I don’t know, some older guy. I never saw him before.” Betty replied. “Can we just walk please?”  
“No Betts, we need to do something!”  
“There’s nothing we can do!” She shouted back at him. “And reporting it did me so much good last time and I had evidence jughead! I don’t even know who it was or if I could describe him! He did this to me, Jughead! And I get to decide what to do, and I am deciding we are walking to class!” Anger clearly evident in her voice.  
Jughead instantly felt horrible. He didn’t realize in his anger, he was taking away her agency. She had every right to not believe in systems working for her. While he wanted justice for her, that wasn’t going to be possible. “I’m so sorry Betty, I didn’t realize what I was doing. I was just so mad this happened to you.”  
“I know.” She said, touching his face. He pulled her into a tight hug and gave her a long kiss to her hairline. If the justice system couldn’t protect her, he vowed to do it.   
They walked silently, hand in hand to school. They stopped at one of the corner markets to buy Betty a water, and took their time getting back to campus. As soon as they entered the gates, Veronica and Archie were waiting.  
“B! Oh my god sweetie, are you okay? Jughead just sprinted away when you called, I’ve been worried sick!” Veronica exclaimed, rushing to hug her best friend.   
Immediately on seeing her best friends did Betty start crying again as she was wrapped into a tight hug from her bestie. “A man on the metro groped me and I just froze.” Betty cried.  
Removing her head from the hug, Veronica looked at Betty, “freezing is a normal response to fear, especially for those with ptsd. It’s not just flight or fight.” Bringing her bestie back into a deep hug.  
Jughead looked to Archie, who looked about ready to kill someone. As soon as Veronica let go, he pulled his honorary little sister into a hug, “I’m so sorry this happened again Betty.” Archie said defeated.   
“It’s not your fault, Arch. I’m fine. It wasn’t like the last time, he just touched me.”   
“No one should be touching you without your permission!” He shouted back. Betty cowered a bit, and Archie immediately apologized, pulling her back into a hug.   
“Can we just go to class?” Betty asked.   
Veronica and Betty led the way, leaving Archie and Jughead behind.  
“Keep an eye on her hands.” Archie said to Jughead. “Ever since her dad died, whenever she gets too stressed she curls her fingernails into her palms. It got worse after the assault, especially when she’s having a ptsd attack. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it.”  
Jughead remembered from when he accidentally triggered her on New Years. “I will” Jughead promised, as the boys went to class

When the foursome made their way to class, there was a noticeable shift in the room. Clearly the other 8 people saw the interaction with Archie and Veronica at the gates. “Are you okay cousin?” Cheryl asked with fear in her eyes.  
Seeing Cheryl so genuine made Betty tear up. “I…. someone….” looking around the room, realizing she would have to tell her whole class about the molesting, “someone touched me on the metro. I just panicked, but I’m fine.” Betty said, with a teary voice.   
“Why didn’t you just hit him or scream?” Reggie asked. While it seemed to be sincere, he had no idea what he triggered. Betty stormed out of the room in tears, with Jughead close on her tail, grabbing her bag she left behind. As he was leaving he could hear Veronica giving Reggie a strongly worded lecture on fear responses.  
He found Betty around the corner, knees curled into her chest. Jughead grabbed Betty’s water from earlier, and sat down next to her. “Reggie is just an idiot.” Jughead said.  
“I know. And it’s not like anyone in there but Cheryl knows what happened before, it was just all too much.” Betty responded. After a few minutes of silence, she said, “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”  
“What, of course you are Betty! You’re the strongest, bravest person I know!”   
“But I can’t even travel alone!” Betty cried.  
“Then don’t!” Jughead responded. “I can transfer into your class, or you can come to mine. We can go everywhere together so you aren’t scared.”  
“I don’t want you to change your trip for me.” Betty replied.  
“Betts, I’m not sure why it’s so hard for you to believe, but I genuinely want to spend every second of the rest of my life with you.” Betty smiled at the statement, curling her body into his strong side.   
“Okay. But I think we should take your class, since I am the one moving.” The pair skipped their class and went to the office and Betty moved into film studies. After class, the foursome decided that they needed a drink after the day, and walked down to the pub down the street for a beer. The group, on Veronica’s request, took a cab home, and Betty was very grateful. Snuggled between Veronica and jughead on the way home, Betty curled into Jughead’s side as he stroked her hair. When they returned to their building, Betty went to take a shower. While Betty was in the shower, Veronica informed him he would be staying in their apartment tonight with Betty.   
“She’s had a terrible day Jug. And the way she clung to you all evening, I think she needs a trashy movie and some warm, brooding arms to curl into.” And with that, jughead waited on their living room couch for Betty to return from the shower.   
Betty emerged a few minutes later, her hair combed into a French braid. She was wearing the same leggings and sweatshirt combo from New Years, and he was still as blown away. “Where’s Veronica?” Betty asked.   
“She’s with Archie. She thought you would need me to cuddle and watch movies with tonight. But if you would rather I leave, I can go get her, or even Archie” jughead rambled.   
Betty walked across the room and sat down on Jughead’s lap. “This is exactly what I need.” She said as she nuzzled her head into his neck. Jughead breathed in Betty’s shampoo and hugged her closer to his chest. After a few minutes, the pair went to Betty’s room where she snuggled into him and they watched Twilight. “This is a terrible movie” Jughead said in the first 10 seconds. “Just be quiet and enjoy the moment.” Betty responded. Pulling her closer, he decided it was best to just take that advice


	11. Goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, most of this story is based off of my real experiences in Kolkata! These are real places mentioned!  
> To learn more about prayasm: prayasm.org  
> Kalighat Kali temple: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalighat_Kali_Temple

Chapter 11: Goddess Mid-January 2017 Betty was having such an amazing time in India. Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Archie began volunteering at Prayasm, which was an organization that provided educational opportunities and resources to children living in the slums(of course, Betty found this organization). Two days a week, the foursome taught English and assisted in various projects needed with the organization. Betty was a natural in the classroom. The students responded to her immediately, and the joy on her face was evident. She had spoken with the founder about her passion of sexual assault advocacy, and he had promised her to connect with some advocacy agencies in Kolkata. She also was loving having the same schedule as Jughead. Every day he came to her apartment, sometimes with Archie, and escorted her to class. He calmed her and made her feel safe, which allowed her to actually enjoy the rides to and from school. They giggles at the pimped out rickshaws. When it was a really crowded day, Betty would even climb on to Jughead’s lap during the short ride. And on the metro, Jughead was a champ. He perfectly figured out where the women’s trains were, and lined them up. Together they would stand in the middle of the two trains, with Betty’s back to the women’s train. She held onto him and he held onto the handlebars at the top of the metro. He always kept her talking to keep her calm. Then they would hold hands and walk to class, often stopping for tea or water along the way. It was never too much togetherness. If possible, it wasn’t enough. Most nights when Jughead would either drop off Betty or leave the apartment, they both were sad to see the other leave. “You seem awfully smitten with Jughead” Veronica teases one morning. “Oh give me a break, you and Archie were like this, still are sometimes!” Betty retorted. “Oh sweetie, Archie and I were never like this.” Veronica replied. “What do you mean?” Betty questioned. “He looks at you like you’re the only person on earth. And you look at him like he put all the stars in the sky just for you. Sure, Archie and I were crazy attracted to each other from the start, but that boy is more in love with you than I’ve ever seen in anyone.” A few days later, on a Friday, Jughead woke to find out that their morning class was canceled. He decided to check out Betty’s bucket list and surprise her with a no-class Friday adventure. Jughead texted Betty to be ready by 9 for a surprise. When he arrived at her door, she was dressed and excited for whatever he had planned. They took the metro to the Kalighat stop. The street was bustling when they made their way to the temple. “Oh my gosh, is this the Kali temple? I wanted to go here!” Betty exclaimed with excitement. “I know, I checked out your bucket list, and there is a Kali celebration today, so it seemed extra fitting.” “Jughead! You’re the sweetest!” Betty said and kissed him. They made their way through the crowd to the temple, where they purchased some flowers for the offering. They made their way through a bullpen of sorts, and Betty stopped and offered flowers at the site. Then they were directed to a pool where they could go with a with a shaman to make an offering to Kali. As the shaman led Jughead over to her statue, he told him that Kali was a goddess of love and would take his offering to help him find love. As Jughead placed the flowers at Kali’s feet, he looked back at Betty, thinking yet again that he already found it


	12. Linen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one! And approaching smutty, though I’m not diving in head first.

Chapter 12: Linen  
Early February 2017  
The groups first overnight travel was to Shantinketan. It was a smaller village a train ride away from Kolkata that was known for textiles. The group was going to learn about the specific embroidery that the area was known for, and just relax away from the city. The train ride was wonderful. The group was clearly needing some time away from the bustle of the city, and a week in a village sounded just perfect. It also happened to be Archie’s birthday, and Veronica had planned a surprise party with the group. They had rented out a small resort with little bungalows. The party was going to take place in Betty and Veronica’s suite, because *of course* Veronica upgraded to a nicer suite.   
The group arrived at Shantinketan around dinner time on Friday and took the evening to explore a market. The market had food and goods for purchase, along with some carnival rides. The group enjoyed the evening together. For the first time, the entire group enjoyed a casual evening together. It made them all excited for the surprise party the next day.   
In preparation for the party the next day, the group called it an early night. Betty and Veronica decided to have a classic girls night. The girls cuddled up into bed together, laptop between them, and a glass of wine each. As the movie started, Veronica turned to Betty, “so can we talk boys?”   
“Sure?” Betty replied hesitantly.  
“Are you like all in with Jughead? Like soulmate level?”  
“I mean…. I…” Betty stuttered, tears in her eyes.  
“Oh, B! I didn’t mean to make you cry! You’re just so happy and it seems so healthy!” Veronica replied, stroking her friends arm.  
“I guess I haven’t given myself any time to process that I could have a soulmate. I think for a while I thought I didn’t think anyone would ever want me. I think I still feel that sometimes, but Jughead…. he makes me think I might get it.”  
“Do you love him?” Veronica asked.  
“I’m definitely falling in love. I think it’s too soon to say for certain I love him, but I definitely think I could.” Betty replied.  
She seemed satisfied with the answer, and they continued to watch the movie. As Betty fell asleep that night and thought more about the question. Could she fall in love? Would she ever be able to let herself fully over to someone? She wasn’t sure, but if she were to let herself fully over to someone, it definitely would be Jughead.

Across the resort, Jughead and Archie laid in their beds, scrolling through the channels on tv. Archie and jughead were realizing that they had more in common than Betty. Both were raised by single fathers. Both were had a passion and interest in environmental sciences. They both wanted to create better lives for their future families than they were given.   
“Do you think Veronica is the one?” Jughead asked.  
“I’m sure of it.” Archie replied.   
“How did you know?” Jughead asked.  
“I just looked at my life and couldn’t imagine my future without her in it.” Archie said. After some silence, he asked, “so, is that Betty for you?”  
“Ya, I think she just might be.”

The next day was Archie’s birthday. The group had to go to a workshop on the embroidery technique in the morning, but the rest of the day was there’s. They made reservations at a restaurant for dinner, and spent the rest of the day exploring the village. Betty and Jughead had fun walking through the rice fields and checking out the shops together. They discussed Rabindranath Tagore, the famous Nobel laureate who founded Shantinketan who created the university in the town and his impact on education in the East. They listened to the music in the square, and just enjoyed each other’s company. They met Archie and Veronica for a nice dinner, and then they back to Betty and Veronica’s suite. The rest of the group was in the suite, and Archie was totally surprised. They celebrated with drinks, and as everyone was beginning to feel a buzz, they decided to play a drinking game. They settled on Never Have I Ever. If you’ve done it, you drink, if you haven’t, you don’t. The questions started off tame enough. Never have I ever been to Europe. Never have I ever seen the ocean. But quickly, their alcohol induced state turned the game dirty very quickly. Soon every question was about sex, and Betty became very aware of how often jughead drank and how infrequently she did. And by infrequently, it was never. Betty hadn’t done anything sexual, apparently. She had never had sex with her high school boyfriend Trevor. She gave him a blowjob once, and he had fingered her a couple times, but she had never had an orgasm. But jughead, apparently, had sex in a car, in a public place, and more, but Betty was getting too overwhelmed to continue to listen. After several more rounds, Betty became too anxious and excused herself. Jughead made eye contact with Veronica, who all but forced him to follow her.  
“Betts? You okay?” Jughead asked, finding her on the dock overlooking the water.   
“I’m fine.” Betty responded.  
“Well clearly not, so why don’t you tell me the truth this time.” Jughead said.  
“I’m inexperienced.” Betty stated.  
“What?” Jughead asked.  
“You drank a lot in the last hour, and my glass is mostly full. You’ve had all these sexual experiences, and I’m not experienced. I haven’t done anything. Nick took my virginity. I gave Trev one blowjob. I’ve never had an orgasm. And you’re over here like Don Jon sexing up everyone you meet.”  
“Betty. I’ve been an asshole. I used women for comfort. It absolutely was not okay.”  
“I’m not judging you Jughead, if anything I’m judging me. Everyone in the room was drinking more than me. What if I’m not enough for you? I’m broken. What if I can never be intimate? You know what it’s like and yoU clearly like it. What if you don’t want me anymore?.”  
“Betty, everyone moves at their own pace. And if I could turn back time and have waited and had all my firsts with you, I would a million times over. I’m honored you’ve let me in. You are in the drivers seat, and we are taking this at your pace. And if you’re allowing me all your firsts, I will gladly accept and cherish them. You are absolutely enough for me, just the way you are. And if the most I ever get to do with you is kiss you, cuddle you, and hold your hand, than that will absolutely be enough. You’re my whole world, Betty. And I don’t care if it’s too soon to say, but I’m falling in love with you.”  
Betty had tears in her eyes and cuddled into his arms.   
“I’m falling in love with you too, Jughead.”

Archie and Veronica had already claimed the suite for the night, so after their talk, they went back to Jughead’s room. Betty was tired from their talking and drinking, but after saying they were falling in love, and how confident she was with him, she wanted to show him how much she cared for him. As soon as they were in the room, Betty kissed him. Jughead backed up until his knees hit the bed, and he sat down and looked up at Betty. She looked down at him, grabbed his face and kissed him, deepening it immediately. She straddled his lap as Jughead’s hands went to her waist. After a few minutes of kissing, Betty felt bold and moved his hand from her waist to her breast.   
“Betty, we don’t have to do anything tonight. I don’t want you to feel pressured by our conversation.”  
“I don’t. I want to try this. If I’m overwhelmed, I trust you to stop.”  
Jughead kissed her again, moving his hand under her shirt. His finger found her bra, and gently massaged her breast. Betty began grinding on his lap, feeling turned on in a way she never felt before. Jughead carefully slipped his hand under her bra and toyed with her nipple, causing Betty to moan in his mouth. It was a sound he would never tire hearing. Betty grew confident, and lifted her shirt over her head, leaving her sitting on his lap in a bra and leggings. Jughead was in awe of this woman. She pulled at his shirt, and he happily obliged, removing it swiftly. She kissed him again, pushing his hand to unclasp her bra. He stopped kissing her, making eye contact and asked, “are you sure?”   
“Yes.” She replied, and he unclasped it, letting the fabric puddle between them. His eyes were drawn to her chest, scattering kisses all up and down her neck. He carefully licked each nipple, circling his tongue around causing Betty to moan. He went to move a hand to her pants and she stopped him. Breathing heavily, she said “I’m sorry, I think this is my limit today.”   
“Of course, honey,” he replied, handing her his shirt. She accepted and put it on. His shirt looked like a short dress on her, and it was sexy as hell to see her in his clothes. She removed her leggings, Jughead removed his jeans, and they snuggled up in bed together. They both fell into a blissful sleep, as jughead whispered how proud he was of her.   
Betty woke up the next morning curled into Jughead’s arms with the sun peaking through their window. She lifted her head and looked at Jughead’s peaceful sleeping face. She pressed gentle kisses around his face until a lazy smile appeared on his lips.   
“Good morning beautiful.” He greeted her.   
“Good morning Juggie.” Betty smiled.  
“How did you sleep?” He asked, pulling her deeper into his chest.   
“Like a baby.” She said, kissing his bare chest. Jughead’s hands slid up her back and into her hair, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Betty straddled him, deepening the kiss as Jughead’s hands wandered to her butt. Just as Jughead’s hands were sneaking under her(note:his) shirt, there was a knock on the door. “Damn it.” Jughead said.  
“It’s probably Veronica.” Betty said, but didn’t stop kissing him. But the knocking continued, so Betty got off of Jughead, and went to the door.  
“Good morning Betty dear, Archiekins and I were wondering-“ Veronica said, abruptly stopping noticing Betty’s outfit. “Oh, sorry, am I interrupting.”  
“Not at all!” Betty replied, while Jughead said “a little bit” simultaneously.  
“We would love to come to breakfast with you two.” Betty replied, giving Jughead a look. “Just give us a few minutes to get ready.”  
Veronica, still stunned, closed the door to leave the two to get ready. Jughead crawled out of bed and snaked his arms around Betty, kissing her neck. “I can do a lot with a few minutes.” Jughead said, kissing her.   
Betty spun around to face him. “Unfortunately, I think I want more than a few minutes with you.” She said with a wink.  
“It’s not fair, you’re just so sexy in my shirt.”   
“Oh ya, I’m keeping this.”  
“Fine by me.”

More than a few minutes later, Betty and Jughead net Archie and Veronica at the cafe in the resort. They were smiling, happy, and cuddly as they approached their friends.   
“Good night?” Archie said with a raised eyebrow.   
“Ya,” both responded, smiling at each other.  
Jughead and Betty heard about the rest of the party. Apparently Chic sucks at drinking games and drove everyone crazy, and Ethel was a bit of a lightweight and vomited within an hour. Nothing too eventful to make them feel as though they missed out. Archie enjoyed his birthday, and they enjoyed their breakfast before packing for the train back.   
As soon as they arrived to the apartment, Veronica jumped Betty with questions.   
“Did you sleep with Jughead?!” Veronica shouted, not exactly one to beat around the bush.  
“We didn’t have sex if that’s what you’re asking.” Betty responded. “But he did say he’s falling in love with me. And we made out and I took my shirt off.”   
“Betty! That’s huge! How did it feel?” Veronica asked with glee.  
“Good, really good. But when he went for my pants I stopped him.”  
“Baby steps girl. Did you tell him you’re falling in love back?”  
“Ya, I did.”   
“Oh B!! This is so great. I’m so proud of you!”  
The girls caught up for a bit more, and then left to unpack and clean up. As Betty unpacked and started some laundry, she texted Jughead.  
B: I miss you. Is that weird?   
J: if it is then I’m the biggest weirdo of them all 😉  
B: thanks for an amazing weekend. I am so grateful for you.  
J: I’m falling for you so hard pretty girl.   
B: want to come over?  
Five minutes later, jughead was curled up with Betty in her bed.  
“Good night Juggie.”  
“Good night Betts.”  
Both fell asleep wanting to say I love you


	13. Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff... and smut because now I’m shameless.

Chapter 13: Valentine   
Mid-February  
Over the last few weeks, the rest of the group was getting closer. Cheryl, Toni, Reggie, Kevin, and Moose had been spending a lot more time with the group. They would have lunch together almost every day, and spent as many free weekends and evenings together. They all had fun together, and played lots of card games. Kevin was all about team bughead and spent a lot of time trying to pry more details about their relationship from Betty. Betty was opening up the group more. She opened up to Toni and Josie about her assault, and both women were so supportive. They even had a girls night sleepover afterwards, really solidifying the friendship. She was also becoming more comfortable around Reggie and Moose, which was a huge step for her recovery. She also was becoming more comfortable with pda. Betty found herself perched on Jughead’s lap, stealing kisses, and off in their own little world more frequently than before.   
Before they knew it, it was Valentine’s Day. Of course Betty had done her research, and found out there was a One million Rising March on Valentine’s Day. They raised awareness for violence against women, so of course Betty wanted to attend. And because of her friendship with the rest of the group, it became a whole group event. It was really empowering for her.   
Afterwards, Jughead has a surprise planned. He took her to a fancy restaurant and give her a necklace that beautifully matched her perfect eyes. Afterwards, they made their way back to Jughead’s apartment(shout out apartment switching with Andrews) to a romantically decorated apartment. “I think I am in love with you, Betts.” Jughead said that night. Betty kissed him and gave him a gift of his own. As she crawled down his body, leaving a trail of kisses down his body. “You don’t have to do that Betts.” Jughead said. “I want to.” She replied, proceeding to give him the most mind blowing blow job known to man. That girl knew how to work her tongue. After he spilled himself into her mouth, he kissed her deeply, cautiously trailing his fingers along his underwear. “May I?” Jughead asked, Betty allowing. He rubbed her clit, working her up. When he stuck a finger inside of her, she whined. As Jughead kissed Betty’s neck, he stuck another finger in. Betty was grinding against his hand moaning loudly. “Oh god, yes Jughead!” Betty cried. She felt like a coil snapped in her stomach, and a wave of comfort and pleasure came over her as she orgasmed for the first time. “Was that…” Betty asked, completely boneless. “I think you just had your first orgasm Betts.” “Happy Valentine’s Day baby.” “Happy Valentine’s Day pretty girl.”


	14. Chapter 14: In Sickness and In Health

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A light, fluffy chapter before we get into some more character development.   
> Sorry for the delay, Corona took me for a loop! I am working from home for the foreseeable future, so definitely lots of chapters to come.

Chapter 14: In Sickness and In Health  
End of February  
Betty and Jughead spent the weeks following Valentine’s Day getting more comfortable exploring each other’s bodies. Jughead would spend nearly every night with Betty, their makeouts getting more and more intense. Jughead loved making Betty fall apart with his fingers, and was excited to keep exploring new things with her.   
But Jughead could tell Betty wasn’t herself the last couple days. She was exhausted early. Which made sense. As much as Jughead’s nearly constant presence comforted her, she was still anxious much of the time, which was exhausting. But something felt different.  
It was Wednesday when all the pieces of Betty’s exhaustion fit together. Jughead woke in Betty’s bed, which was his new normal, but surprisingly Betty was still asleep next to him. Normally she would have been awake, getting in a little yoga or journaling in before school. But this morning, Jughead had to wake Betty.  
“Sweetie, are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to miss this class and sleep some more?” Jughead asked, noticing how much slower Betty was moving this morning.  
“No, it’s fine. I just need to get moving, I’ll be fine.” She replied with an attempted smile.  
Jughead was paying extra attention to her on their ride. She made it to the rickshaw just fine, but still seemed slow. They got on the train easily, and luckily it was pretty empty. Jughead kept talking, like always, to keep Betty distracted, when suddenly Betty’s eyes went big. “I need to get off. Now.”  
Jughead quickly ushered Betty off at the next stop, where Betty promptly ran to the nearest trash can and emptied the entire contents of her stomach. Jughead rushed over, pulling the hair off her neck and rubbed her back. “I’m here,” he whispered, comforting her.   
“Well, I guess this explains the exhaustion.” Jughead attempted to joke, which earned him a weary smile. “Come on, lets go home.”  
He ushered Betty into a cab, where she immediately fell asleep on his shoulder. He paid the cabby outside their building, and carried Betty to her apartment. He laid her on the bed and went to go grab a garbage can, when her weak hand reached for him, “please stay.” Jughead grabbed the garbage, and some water, sent Veronica a quick text explaining their absence, and curled up behind his sick girlfriend. He streamed Gilmore Girls on Netflix as Betty drifted in and out of sleep. A few hours later, Betty awoke suddenly and was sick again. This time, it seemed much worse than the first wave. She was constantly throwing up, even the little water she was trying to keep down. She looked so weak and drained. Archie and Veronica came home from class around this time, and came in to check on Betty, whose head was deep in the toilet.   
“I’m getting nervous, guys.” Jughead said to Veronica and Archie. “She hasn’t kept anything down all day, and she’s completely dehydrated.”   
“I think we should go to the hospital.” Veronica replied. “She will object, but if she hasn’t had any fluids, she needs to get an IV, and quickly.”  
“Betty?” Jughead asked, knocking on the bathroom door. “Honey, we are going to take you to the hospital.”  
“I’m fine.” Betty replies, head still in the toilet.   
“Sweets, we just want to make sure you’re okay and get you some fluids.” Jughead explained.   
“Okay, you’re probably right,” Betty replied. Jughead picked Betty up and carried her to the car Veronica called. Veronica packed a quick bag of Betty’s clothes and the four of them went to the hospital. Betty was checked in and admitted over the night. She somehow contracted a parasite, likely from the water. She was given fluids and some medicine to help pass the parasite.   
“Jug, will you stay with me?” Betty asked.   
“Absolutely.” Jughead replied, making himself comfortable on the chair.  
“Can you come in bed with me?” Betty asked.  
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Jughead replied with worry.   
“You won’t, just watch the chords. I don’t want to be away from you.”  
Jughead climbed in, very mindful of the chords coming out of Betty. She curled into his chest and he kissed her temple. As she drifted off to sleep, Jughead whispered, “I am completely in love with you, Betty Cooper.”


	15. Chapter 15: Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: PTSD Panic attacks  
> Still on the fence about making Chic a bad guy. This story is based on my real experiences, and the guy i envisioned for Chic is a total douche, so we will see where this goes.

Chapter 15: Moonlight  
End of February   
Towards the halfway point of the trip, Veronica decided to host another party on the rooftop of their building. Everyone came over on Saturday night for a night of fun and relaxation. Veronica had somehow managed to pull together a bar full of drinks, found a bluetooth speaker, and somehow managed to pull together very Indian-chique decorations. There were twinkle lights, and a dance floor, and Betty was amazed that Veronica could somehow pull all this together.   
“Wow, V! It looks amazing out here!” Betty exclaimed, examining the rooftop.  
“I do feel as though I have particularly outdone myself.” Veronica replied.   
Archie and Jughead were the first to arrive, as requested by Veronica. “Wow, Veronica. You wouldn’t even know that this was our rooftop,” Jughead complimented her.   
“Thank you Jughead. Now, enjoy yourself, spoil my bestie. Make her feel like the belle of the ball.” Which was exactly what he intended to do.

“Hey beautiful,” Jughead said, snaking an arm around Betty’s waist, kissing the side of her head.   
“Hi Juggie,” Betty replied, pulling him into a kiss. Maybe it was something about the romantic lights, or the lights of the city, or just the fact that they were crazy about each other, but the kiss got heated fast. The weather had already begun to warm up, and Betty was wearing one of her only shorter sundress options, and Jughead learned, like every other body part Jughead had the privilege of seeing, was obsessed with them. Jughead’s hands snuck around to cup her butt, he heard a distinct wolf whistle from none other than Reggie.   
“Oh, by all means, don’t stop on my behalf,” Reggie chuckled.   
“Class act as always, Reginald.” Jughead replied, rolling his eyes.   
“I am going to go get a drink.” Betty excused herself.  
“So you and Betty, huh? Seems to be going well?” Reggie asked. The two had been friends before the trip, and though Betty definitely had been occupying most of his time, he did miss his ‘bro-time’ with his pal.   
“Ya, she’s amazing.” Jughead replied.  
“I’ve never seen you like this with a girl. Normally its a very short lived thing. I was honestly nervous about you hooking up with a girl from the trip. Imagine how awkward it would be if you royally screwed it up like usual.” Reggie teased. But it was true. After Sabrina, the longest relationship he had was maybe a month, and that was only because they were only hooking up after bar close on weekends. He wasn’t even sure it was a relationship. And even with Sabrina, it was definitely more of a social thing. Her friends were dating his friends. She was hot, and he was a horny 16 year old who just wanted to get laid. Everything about his relationship thus far was the opposite of normal Jughead. She changed him, and it definitely was for the better. Reggie and Jughead caught up some more, when Betty came to find them.  
“Veronica wants to play a game.” Betty said, “And says it’s mandatory we all participate.”  
Reggie walked off towards the group, and Jughead pulled Betty aside. “Is this going to be okay? Last time we played a game, you weren’t too happy with me.”  
“I wasn’t happy with me, not you. Plus, everyone is having fun. I want to have fun too. And fun with just you later.” She said more flirtily. “Maybe give me more reasons to drink during Never Have I Ever” she said with a wink.   
The pair joined the group. After several rounds of flip cup, land mines, and beer pong, everyone was feeling the alcohol and having a blast. Jughead was loving this casual version of Betty. It was so clear how much more comfortable she was with the rest of the group, and her flushed cheeks and constant dancing from alcohol was downright adorable. Jughead had partnered with Archie for another round of beer pong, and Betty was leaning against the balcony, looking at the city. Chic came over.   
“Hi Betty.”  
“Hi Chic, hows it going? Enjoying the party?”  
“Ya, its fun. Enjoying the trip so far?”  
“Oh ya, definitely.” She said with a smile.  
The two talked for a while, and Betty started to get a weird vibe. She had been drinking, so she left the feeling to that, not wanting to be rude. Chic was odd, but had never given her any creepy vibes before. She kept talking, finishing her drink. She peeked over at Jughead, watching him. He caught her eye and winked at her, which caused Betty to blush.   
“Can I get you another drink Betty?” Chic asked.   
“Oh, umm, I will go with you.” Betty replied. She noticed her heart rate quickening, again, dismissing her feelings to PTSD. Chic is not Nick, Betty repeated in her head as they walked to the drink table. They both poured themselves another drink, and walked back over to the balcony. She noticed that this time, they were out of Jughead’s sight. But Betty pushed this fear down yet again. As the pair continued talking, Chic kept creeping closer to Betty, and soon she found herself trapped between the balcony and Chic.   
“You know Betty,” Chic said, “You are the most beautiful person here.” And he leaned in closer.  
“Chic, I’m”   
“Come on Betty, live a little.”Chic cut her off and kissed her.   
She shoved him away, and spiraled into a full panic attack.”Get off me!” She screamed.   
Jughead heard Betty, and ran to her voice. He found Chic pinning Betty into the railing. He shoved Chic off of Betty, curling her into his chest.   
“What the fuck were you doing man?” Jughead shouted at Chic. At that moment, Archie and Veronica, came running over. Betty was transferred from Jughead’s arms into Veronica’s, and Archie and Jughead were ready to fight Chic.   
“What the fuck man!” Archie shouted. “What the hell?” shoving Chic.  
“Hey look, I’m sorry your girl wanted a real man,” Chic replied, and was met promptly with Jughead’s fist in his face.  
“Real man? She told you to get off of her! You were forcing yourself on her!” He shouted as Archie held him back.   
“Chic, you need to leave man,” Reggie intervened. Moose and Reggie ushered Chic out of the party, and the rest of the group drifted away from the foursome. Betty was curled on the ground in Betty’s arms, crying. Veronica tried to soothe her, but nothing was helping. She was in a full panic, hands curled into her palms, blood dripping from her hands. Jughead rushed over to Betty, and pulled her into his arms. Archie came down face to face with Betty.  
“Hey Betts, can you open your hands for me?” Archie asked, slowly uncurling her hands. Veronica had directed Cheryl to keep the party going, as the boys carried Betty inside. Veronica grabbed the first aid kit and made quick work of cleaning off Betty’s hands. Her panic attack ended, and she was in a nearly catatonic state. As Veronica cleaned her hands, Archie went to get her water and tea, Jughead gently stroked Betty’s hair, whispering that he was here. Soon after, Betty fell asleep in Jughead’s arms. He laid her in bed, and met Archie and Veronica in the kitchen.   
“I’m going to kill him.” Jughead said.  
“Not if I don’t first.” Archie replied.   
“Boys, calm down.” Veronica said.   
“Calm down? That douche tried to attack my girlfriend!” Jughead shouted.  
“This is Betty’s decision, not yours. She needs to know she is in control. It is not your place to come in and save her. Betty can save herself.”   
Jughead was brought back to their conversation at the beginning of the trip, about Betty needing agency.  
“You’re right.” Jughead replied, a little defeated.   
“Now, go in there and cuddle your girlfriend. Archie and I will be here if you need us or she freaks out.”  
Jughead walked into Betty’s room and climbed into bed next to her. In her sleep, she rolled into his chest, and he pulled her close.

The next morning, Betty woke up with the worst headache. As she tried to sit up, she felt Jughead’s hand gently on her back as he handed her some water. “Veronica said you would need this,” handing her the water and migraine pills.   
“Thank you.” Betty replied, voice hoarse from crying.   
“Do you want to talk about last night?” Jughead asked.  
“No. I mean I should, but…” Betty faded off. “Can you get Archie and Veronica?”  
“Of course.” Jughead left the room. Shortly after he left, Archie and Veronica came in.   
“He B,” Veronica said, sitting on the bed hugging Betty. Archie sat on Betty’s other side, rubbing circles on her knee.  
“What’s up?” Archie asked.  
“Last night… I’m afraid to tell Jughead what happened.” Betty said.  
“Thats ridiculous Betty. He forced himself on you, Jug obviously isn’t mad at you.”  
“That’s the thing. I never said no. And Chic isn’t really in the group, I honestly don’t think he knew we were dating. And he was actually being nice. And I think he misconstrued me being nice as being interested. And if I was normal, I wouldn’t have had a panic attack. All he did was try to kiss me.”  
“B, I think you need to tell Jughead just that. You didn’t cheat on him, some weirdo misconstrued being nice as flirting and took it too far. You did nothing wrong.” Veronica replied.   
After Archie and Veronica left, Betty told Jughead what had happened.  
“I was just going to tell him I am with you when he kissed me. I honestly don’t think he knew and I don’t think he was trying to hurt me.” Betty said.  
“Explains how surprised he seemed when I punched him.” Jughead said under his breath.  
“You did what?” Betty yelled.   
“Look Betts, alcohol and believing someone was hurting you made me act irrationally. I wanted him off of you.” Jughead explained.   
“You need to apologize.”   
“I’ll apologize to him if he apologizes to you.”  
“Fair. But I am talking to him first.”

Betty texted Chic and they met at the coffee shop on their block.   
“Look Betty, I’m really sorry. I was drunk and I didn’t realize you were with Jughead.” Chic immediately apologized.   
“I know. And I need you to know, the panic attack wasn’t about you. I’ve had...some bad experiences… and last night your behavior triggered me.”  
“I am so sorry Betty. I know I was acting creepy. You’re just really pretty and the only person who has genuinely accepted me. I shouldn’t assume you’re into me.”  
“I forgive you, Chic. Just, maybe let women come to you a little more. You’re a nice guy, you just need to cool it a bit.” Betty said with a soft smile.  
“I will. Thanks, Betty.”  
Jughead approached the table. “Look man, I’m sorry I hit you. I heard Betty scream and immediately thought you were attacking her. And I overreacted.”  
“No need to apologize man. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss her when she gave me no indication she wanted to.”  
Chic got up and left the pair. He turned back around to see the beautiful Betty Cooper making heart eyes at Jughead. “Some day, Betty Cooper. Some day.”


	16. Chapter 16: Holi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Super Mild drug use  
> dipped my toe in smut. It's getting there, but I am not jumping off the deep end with a sexual assault survivor.

Chapter16: Holi  
Beginning of March  
Holi is the festival of colors that happens at the beginning of March. It is a Hindu festival that celebrates the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. It celebrates good winning over evil; and is a day to celebrate happiness and love. Everything shuts down and everyone is in the streets throwing colored powder at each other. This was an event that everyone had been looking forward to for months. Like any event in India, it happened over multiple days, and they were given a few days off of school for the Holiday.   
On the night before Holi, the Jughead decided to take Betty on a date. They had been in a really good place after the incident with Chic. Betty had opened up to Jughead more about how he can help her during panic attacks, and she had started virtually seeing her therapist again. It was helpful to talk through things, and her therapist helped her work through her feelings with Jughead. Betty was falling hard for him, and she really wanted to let him in more and break down some of the walls she had kept that were keeping her from being intimate with Jughead. Jughead was so proud of her, and he wanted to celebrate her.  
He took her to a local restaurant that was very popular, Peter Cat. It was a nicer restaurant, and Betty was excited to be able to dress up a little. The restaurant was known for kabobs, and it was one of the most delicious meals they had eaten in India. They laughed throughout the whole meal; sharing stories about their families and funny incidents that had happened to them in college. Betty loved how easy it was with Jughead. She never had to guess where his head was at, and he was always communicating his feelings to her. She felt like she was a mess, but Jughead grounded her and helped put the pieces back together.  
After dinner, they came across a pre-Holi bonfire in the streets. A group of children came and gave Betty some colors. She looked beautiful and happy; dancing in the street with the children, color on her face, hair free. Jughead pulled out his camera and snapped some candids of her. He wanted to cherish this moment forever. Betty caught him and skipped over, kissing his lips. “I love you, Betty Cooper.” Jughead said, finally speaking the words that had been on his heart since he first saw her. “Jughead Jones, I love you.” Betty replied. After more colors shared and dancing, the pair walked back to their apartment. 

Betty was blissful. She couldn’t contain her smile or happiness she was feeling after their wonderful date. And she wasn’t ready for the night to be over. She knew Veronica was with Archie in his apartment, so they would have no disruptions. They walked into Betty’s apartment, and immediately Betty started kissing Jughead. He was thrilled, he always lets her take control, but she had never been so assertive. She leaned back and smiled at Jughead as he trailed his hands up and down her sides.   
“I need to shower.” Betty said, “Come with me?”  
They walked into the bathroom together. Jughead was totally letting her take control, and could see the hesitation in her eyes when the door closed. “We don't have to do this if you don’t want to, babe.” Jughead said.  
“I want to,” Betty replied. “I just have never been naked in front of someone before. With Nick… but I want to be naked with you. I’m just scared.”  
“Lets take it slow then.” Jughead replied.  
Betty smiled at him, and he helped her out of her shirt, and he removed his. Holding eye contact with him, she reached behind herself and unclipped her bra, letting it fall in front of them. Jughead stepped forward, caressing her hips and kissed her.  
Jughead stepped back and stepped out of his jeans. Betty bent over and removed her leggings, standing in front of Jughead in only a thong. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head with how sexy she looked, but he knew she needed to do this on her own and didn’t want to push her in any way. With a deep breath, she pulled down her thong, standing in front of him completely naked. At this point, Jughead couldn't help himself, he stepped forward and pulled Betty into a deep kiss. “You are the sexiest person I have ever seen” he whispered onto her lips. She pulled him in to a kiss and snaked her tiny hands to his boxers, pushing them down. Jughead reached over and turned on the shower. He held out his hand and helped Betty into the shower. They kissed under the warm water for a while. Jughead lathered up his hands and washed and massaged Betty’s body, and she returned the favor. He loved washing her hair, and Betty was completely relaxed. After removing all the color from their bodies, they wrapped themselves in towels and walked into Betty’s room. She brushed her hair and tied it into a french braid.   
“Can we sleep naked? Just sleep?” Betty asked innocently.  
“Of course, that sounds perfect.” Jughead replied. He threw both their towels into her dirty laundry and laid down in bed with Betty. They kissed some more, but nothing else. Jughead fell asleep so proud of Betty, and so happy he got to be the first, and hopefully only, person she could be truly vulnerable like that with. 

“Betty, wake up! Veronica got a bunch of different juices so we can have colorful mimosas before going out for H” Archie chattered, abruptly stopping when he caught her friend in a very intimate position. Betty pulled the sheet tight around her top, and Jughead startled and pulled his side over his waist.  
“Archie! Do you knock?” Betty yelled.   
“Sorry, sorry.” He shouted back, covering his eyes and leaving the room.   
Betty groaned, hands over her face as she buried her head in Jughead’s chest. “Why couldn’t it have been Veronica?”  
“Haha, its okay babe, he didn’t see anything. But maybe we should get dressed and join them?”  
The pair got dressed in their white for the Holi party and met their friends in the kitchen.  
“Hey guys I am so sorry,” Archie immediately apologized, “I didn’t even think. I didn’t see anything.”  
“Hey, no problem man.” “It’s okay, Arch.” Betty and Jughead responded in unison. “But for the sake of our sibling relationship, can we never speak of this again? Betty asked.  
“Oh my God, yes.” Archie responded with relief.  
The four of them enjoyed mimosas and finished getting ready to meet their friends in the street for the party.   
Before leaving, Veronica insisted on a ‘freshen up’ in the bathroom, which everyone knew was code for wanting more information about their less than clothed morning state.   
“Omg girl, did you and Jughead do the deed?!” Veronica screeched.   
“Keep it down, V!” Betty whispered. “No. We just took a shower together and made out and I suggested we sleep naked.”  
“B! Look at you! How did it feel?”  
“Honestly, amazing. He’s so great and I am so grateful he got to see me like that first. I am so in love with him V.”  
Veronica hugged her best friend, so happy for Betty.

They met the rest of the group at the party. It was very similar to their experience last night, but on a much grander scale. They immediately starting throwing colors at each other, and Jughead took candids of the group. Again, Betty was so happy and carefree, and he loved this version of her. Jughead put his camera away and grabbed a packet of pink. He snuck up behind her and kissed her cheek, while smearing pink on the other side. Betty laughed and attacked him with some orange, and soon they were a giggling, multi-colored mess. A parade of people walked through the city, and the group ended the night with beers on the roof, knowing they still had one more party tomorrow. Betty and Jughead ended the night again in the shower, this time exploring their bodies a little more under the warm water. Betty opted to sleep in his shirt tonight, fearing a repeat of her honorary brother walking in on her naked. 

The next morning, the group all met early to head to a fancy Holi party sponsored by a local club. It was invite only, and the group got invited by one of their classmates at university. Color and alcohol were provided, there was a DJ and a dance floor, and the group was so excited for a day out. The group all got bhang, a creamy drink made from marijuna that was made special for the holiday.   
“I’ve never tried pot before,” Betty told Jughead as she took a cautious sip of her drink.  
“This is really mild, and you won’t get high from one.” The bartender assured her.   
“Plus, you got me to take care of you,” Jughead said, pulling Betty in close.   
After a few more drinks, and lots of dancing, it was clear everyone was having a great time. Jughead had become the group photographer, taking various posed photos of the group, capturing their joy and excitement. He captured a cute picture of Veronica with Betty on her back, laughing. And a hilarious shot of Reggie and Archie attempting to recreate the girls’ pose.   
“Let me get one of you and Betty!” Veronica asked.  
Jughead surrendered his camera and snuck up behind Betty, planting a kiss on her cheek, which Veronica captured. He picked her up from behind and swung her around, which elicited a sweet laugh from both of them, which Veronica successfully captured. He placed Betty back on the ground. She turned around, draped her arms around Jughead’s neck and smiled at him, again, Veronica captured the moment. “Okay, I have to give this back, you two are too cute and are going to break the camera.” Veronica teased, giving Jughead back his camera.   
After a few more hours, they headed back to the apartments. They all cleaned up, and Betty, Archie, Veronica and Jughead enjoyed a casual movie night after day drinking. Betty flipped through the pictures on that Jughead had uploaded to her computer.   
"Can I post these?" Betty asked.  
"Of course, sweetie." He replied, kissing her temple.  
Betty selected all of the pictures Veronica sent, the one of her and Veronica, and a cute group selfie of the four of them. She posted them to Instagram with the caption "Holi with the loves of my life" which earned many likes.Inspired by Betty, Jughead logged on to his rarely used Instagram to post the picture of him spinning Betty and captioned it "happy and in love." Betty liked the photo, and kissed her boyfriend. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.


	17. Chapter 17: Sunderbans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Smut, and panic attack

Chapter 17: Sunderbans   
Mid March  
A week after Holi, the group was taking a vacation to the Sunderbans. They were going down to the river to spend the day on the boat looking for tigers and other wildlife. It was supposed to be a beautiful weekend, and they would be able to relax and just spend time together.   
Betty was extremely excited for the weekend. She decided that this weekend, she finally wanted to have sex with Jughead. He was being so patient, and she definitely loved him and wanted to give herself fully to him. She bought a box of condoms and packed them into her bag. They left late Friday and checked into their hotel that night.   
“This is nice,” Jughead said, checking out their room. It had a nice king size bed, and a tub in the bathroom. “All of our hotels are so nice.”  
“Ya, it helps that there is really no middle class in India, so everything is relatively inexpensive for Americans.” Betty replied.  
“True. Nice none the less.” he said, kissing Betty’s head. “I’m exhausted. These last two weeks have been crazy, I am so excited for a vacation.”   
“Let’s go to bed then? So we can enjoy the day on the water tomorrow?” Betty asked.   
“Sounds perfect.” They both got ready for bed, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

They both woke up so excited to wake up and get on the boat. It was warm out, and because it would just be the group, they didn’t need to follow the strict modesty codes that they needed to when living in the city. Betty was thrilled to be able to bring out shorts, and Jughead was excited to check out her legs all day. Betty threw on a cute pair of athletic shorts and a striped v neck tee she loved. She tied one of Jughead’s flannels around her waist and shook out her braids from the night before.   
“I don’t know what’s sexier,” Jughead said, snaking his arms around Betty’s waist as she looked in the mirror. “You in my clothes or these damn legs” he said, caressing her thigh.   
“You’re a leg guy, huh?” Betty teased, turning around and hugging his waist.   
“I’m a Betty guy,” he replied with a wink, and gave her a kiss. Betty deepened it. Jughead’s hands trailed down her body, grabbing her just below her butt and picked her up and placed her on the counter. Betty’s legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Jughead trailed kisses down her neck when Betty’s phone went off. “Ignore it,” Betty said, moving her head back to give Jughead more space.   
“Sorry tiger, I think that’s our que to leave. But I like where your mind is at this morning,” he said, kissing her nose.   
“Ugh fine, but don’t think I am not going to return to this tonight,” she teased, raising her eyebrows.   
“Whatever you say, baby girl.” 

The boat ride was amazing. It was so relaxing to be on the water enjoying the sun. Their guide gave them information on how to look for the tigers and other wildlife, and then let them be. Cheryl and propped herself at the front of the boat with Toni at her side. She had on this ridiculous hat that Jughead was wondering how she brought over in her luggage. Betty and Veronica were up front, tanning with the girls. It was a very carefree afternoon. Archie and some of the guys were playing cards in the back, some others were reading. Jughead wandered around the boat, taking pictures of the scenery and the group, keeping an eye on Betty. This was one of the first times Chic was with the group, and, though she said she was fine, he wanted to be sure.   
“So cousin,” Cheryl said, “You sure keep that lap dog of yours on a tight leash. He hasn’t strayed far from your sight all day.”   
“He’s not my lap dog Cheryl, he’s my boyfriend. And he’s not ‘on a leash’ he’s just aware of his surroundings.” Betty replied, rolling her eyes.   
“I get it,” Toni replied. “Even I am staring at Betty’s leg in these shorts!”  
“Toni,” Betty scolded.   
“She’s not wrong, you look hot today. Confident.” Veronica said.   
“I guess I feel confident. Jug makes me confident.” Betty said, blushing.   
“I am happy for you, cousin. He does know that if anything that I have at least five people in my phone that could kill him and never be found?” Cheryl threatened.   
“Is Cheryl threatening me again?” Jughead said, crawling over to the front of the boat.   
“Yes,” all the girls replied in unison.   
“Classic,” Jughead replied, “Well Cheryl, to assure you, I am definitely not going to hurt your dear cousin here.” He said kissing her hand. Betty looked over at him with major heart eyes. “Can I hang with you girls, I am terrible at poker.” Jughead replied.   
“Of course!” Toni replied. The group of five ended up playing Rummy and chatting about life back in New York. Jughead really liked Cheryl and Toni, especially Toni. He could see them being friends when they got back home.   
When they got back to shore, they all went to dinner at the hotel. The nice part of these trips was that the meals were included, and often were a buffet. Jughead had a huge appetite and loved it.   
Betty made her way through the line when Chic came up behind her.  
“What did you think of the boat today?” Chic asked.  
“I loved it, what about you?” Betty replied kindly. While she chalked up the kiss to alcohol, she still had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach when he was around.   
“Well, enjoy your dinner,” he said, passing her. When he passed, she could have sworn he grabbed her ass, but then he didn’t turn or make any eye contact that confirmed it.  
She finished going through the line and met her friends at the table.   
“You okay?” Jughead asked, noticing a kind of distant look in Betty’s eyes.   
“Ya, I’m fine. What are we talking about?” Betty replied, moving the conversation away from her. After dinner, the group enjoyed a beer on the patio together. The group was growing very close, and they all had a blast together. It was nice to have such a casual dynamic and a group that really cares for each other. It made this crazy world a lot less crazy.  
After the sunset, Betty asked Jughead to head to bed. She had a look in the eye that made Jughead very curious what she had in store.   
The minute they got into the room, Betty pushed him against the door and kissed him. “You sure don’t waste time.” Jughead teased.  
“I want you Jug,” Betty replied. “All of you.”  
“Betts, are you sure?” He said, searching her eyes for affirmation.   
“Yes.” She said, and took off her shirt and shorts, standing in front of him in her underwear.   
“If you want to stop at any point, I will, okay?” Jughead said.   
“I know. I trust you. I love you, Jughead. Make love to me.”  
He took off his shirt and shorts as Betty made her way over to the bed. She crawled up to the back of the bed. Jughead climbed over top of her, kissing her deeply. As their tongues explored each other, Betty reached behind herself and undid her bra.   
“So beautiful,” Jughead complimented, kissing his way down her neck. He grabbed a nipple in his mouth, rolling it with his tongue. Betty moaned, loudly.  
Jughead kissed his way down her body, “can I take this off?” he said, reaching towards her underwear.  
“Yes.” Betty moaned. He slipped her underwear off, and she grabbed at his. He slipped his off as well and kissed her. “I am so in love with you Betty.” He said as he kissed her.  
“I love you Jughead.” she replied. “Grab a condom from my bag.”  
“You came prepared.” Jughead teased as he reached in the box.  
He slid the condom on and kissed her. He nudged at her entrance and kissed her neck. Suddenly, her whole body went still. She was no longer in a hotel room with her very loving boyfriend, but in a frat house. ‘It’s Jughead, you’re fine.’ she repeated in her head. But Jughead noticed the shift, and pulled away.   
“Betts, you okay?” He asked.  
“Ya, keep going.” She said, tears streaming down her face.   
“Obviously not, and I am not going to have sex with you when you’re crying.” He said. “I just need to throw this away and I’ll be right back.” He said, pulling off the condom. “Here,” He said, passing her his flannel. She wrapped herself in the flannel, full on crying. He grabbed his boxers and her underwear and climbed back into bed.   
“Can I get you anything else?” He said, pulling Betty into a hug. He stroked her hair, and whispered “I’m here, I love you,” over and over. Betty wouldn’t stop crying, but muttered out “Can you get Archie?”  
“Of course, I’ll be right back.” He grabbed a shirt and his shorts, and headed over towards Archie’s room. As soon as the fresh air hit his face, the reality of Betty’s panic attack hit him.   
“Archie?” Jughead shouted as his banged on the door. “It’s urgent. It’s Betty.”  
“What? What's wrong?” Archie responded, Jughead was clearly interrupting.   
“She’s having a panic attack and she asked for you.”  
Archie moved at record speed, grabbing shorts and heading over to Betty. Veronica emerged shortly and met Jughead, who was pacing the halls.   
“It’s going to be okay.” Veronica said, rubbing her back. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
“We were about to have sex and she just froze. And I tried to comfort her, but she asked for Archie.”  
“Ah, I know the feeling.” Veronica replied.  
“What do you mean?”  
“I’ve been on the jealous end of the Archie/Betty relationship, and it’s not worth it.”  
“I’m not jealous.”  
“Not like that, I know you know Betty loves you. They are bonded in a way we can’t understand. Remember when her dad died, he was there. Like literally at the hospital with her. He slept in her bed every night for two months after that. And he never left the dorm after the rape. When she spirals, he brings her back every time. And when Archie gets in his head and feels inadequate, she is the first person to pull him back. They’re siblings. But more than that, they’re each other’s person. And, over the years, Archie has relied on me more, and I have become his person. Betty has never had to let anyone in before. It’s going to take some time, but you’ll be her person too.”

(Meanwhile in Betty’s room)  
“Hey dear, you okay?” Archie asked, climbing into bed with Betty.  
“Why can’t I be normal?” Betty cried into his chest.   
“What happened?” Archie asked.  
“We were like having sex. Like he was almost in for God’s sake! And then I just…”   
“Wasn’t in your body anymore?”  
“Exactly. I love him Arch. And I want to have sex with him. When we are making out I am so turned on I could explode.”  
“Hun, you experienced a trauma. Your body doesn’t forget that easily. You just need to figure out how to be with him and be in control. Jug loves you and will work with you.”  
“How can you be so sure?”  
“Because he looks at you like you’re the sun, and he orbits around you.”  
“Can you go get Jug? I think we need to talk.”  
“Of course.”

“Hey Jug?” Arch asked, coming out of Betty’s room. “Betty wants you.”  
“Thanks, Veronica.” Jughead said, squeezing her hand.  
“Anytime bud, go talk to our girl.”

“Betts?” Jughead asked knocking on the door.   
“Come here?” Betty asked, tapping on the bed next to her.  
“Are you okay?”   
“Ya, I am. I’m sorry we couldn’t”  
“Do not apologize. I’m sorry I triggered you.” Jughead cut her off.   
“I just, I need to figure out how to be in control.”   
“And we will figure it out, okay?” Jug assured her.  
“Okay. Can we go to sleep?” Betty replied.  
“Yes, absolutely. Come here.” Betty curled into Jughead’s arms and they drifted into sleep.

The next day was spent on the boat and in various animal reserves. Betty kept herself closely curled into Jughead the whole day. She was clearly exhausted from the panic attack, and Jughead really seemed to be holding her together. They rode the train back to the apartment, and Veronica insisted on a night with ‘her B.’  
The guys settled into their apartment and got ready for bed.   
“Hey man, I want to explain the Betty thing.” Archie said.  
“No need man, I talked to Veronica. I get it.” Jughead replied.  
“I’ve never had romantic feelings for her. And honestly, I am thrilled when she found you. She deserves romance and deserves someone to treat her right, and that's you. When she gets into her head, she needs to be reminded who she is. The only reason she asked for me is because she was embarrassed. You’re her person. I’ve always been a placeholder.”  
“Thanks man, that means a lot.”  
“Anytime dude. Thanks for loving her. She’s been waiting a long time for you.”


	18. Chapter 18: Bright Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: drug use, oral sex

Chapter 18: Bright Lights  
After things didn’t go according to plan in the Sunderbans, Jughead and Betty decided to slow things down a little bit. Betty needed to figure out herself before she could be intimate with Jughead. This meant that, while Jughead and Betty did still spend every day together, they were spending more nights apart and spending time with other people in the group. Betty was spending more solo time with the girls. The girls had a girls day that involved a museum tour and a spa afternoon which required multiple forms of transportation, and Betty handled it just fine. And she was extremely proud of herself for it. Jughead was so proud of the strides Betty was making, though he did miss their near-constant togetherness. He was grateful she was figuring herself out, and he knew in the long run it would benefit their relationship.   
The group was really comfortable together at this point, and did want to spend as much time as possible together. There were more frequent post-class trips to the local bar, more lunches together, and even more weekend parties. Ethel and Josie were roommates, and decided to host an Indian cooking night and rooftop party. They had hired a parent of one of their classmates to come and teach the group how to make biryani and enjoyed the meal together on the rooftop.   
They decided to hang out after dinner, and Reggie informed the group he brought weed. Betty had the one dring of bhang and had never smoked anything. Jughead was no newbie to drugs; he was a semi-regular weed smoker, and had done shrooms before.   
Archie and Veronica were semi-regular weed smokers, along with Moose and Kevin. The group of them went to the other side of the roof, and Betty decided to go with.   
“Blondie, you want some?” Reggie asked Betty as he lit up the joint.   
“You don’t need to do it if you don’t want to,” Jughead whispered to Betty.  
“I actually have always wanted to try it,” Betty said innocently.  
“B, I actually think it might help your anxiety!” Veronica said to her.  
“That’s honestly what I was thinking too, pass me the joint Reggie.” Reggie passed the joint to Betty, and Jughead talked her through it.   
“So take a deep breath in with the smoke, let it fill your lungs, pause, and exhale.” Jughead explained. Following his advice, Betty took her first hit. It burned a little, but Betty was surprised with how easy it was to take. The group continued to pass the joint around the circle a few more times and were starting to feel it. Betty was leaning over the railing of the roof, looking at the city, and Jughead came to her.   
“Are you feeling it yet?” Jughead asked.  
“I don’t know, maybe. I feel more relaxed, but also this is just really relaxing, so maybe that's why.” She said as she snuggled into Jughead.   
Betty’s eyes kept wandering around the city view and group, and Jughead realized pretty quickly she was high. “Hey Betts, are you noticing the colors are super bright?”  
“Yes!” Betty screeched several octaves above her normal.   
“Haha, I think you might be a little high babe.” Jughead laughed.  
“Oh em gee is Bettykins high?!” Veronica giggled, clearly high herself.   
“You’re one to talk!” Betty whined, defending herself.   
“No one is judging you Betts,” Archie laughed, “its nice to see you relaxed.”  
“I am so relaxed. Like I really enjoy this.” Betty sighed.  
“Oh no, we created a pot-head.” Jughead teased, hugging Betty and giving her a quick kiss.   
After another hour on the roof, Betty, Jug, Archie, and Veronica decided it was time to go back. In the cab, Betty still was feeling the pot, though not quite as intense as before. She was so relaxed and happy, and was excited to get Jughead home.  
Archie and Veronica went back to the girls’ apartment, and Betty and Jughead planned to spend the night in the boys’.   
“How are you feeling now?” Jughead asked, kissing her head as he walked towards his room.   
“Horny.” Betty said, taking off her shirt.  
“Babe, you probably are still a little high. I don’t want our first time to be under the influence of anything.” Jughead replied.  
“I’m not high anymore. I’m relaxed and I feel good, and I want to feel good with you.” Betty said. She removed her bra and leggings and stood in front of him in her thong. Jughead stepped forward and kissed her, and she pulled his shirt off. They kept kissing and backing up until Betty’s knees hit the bed. She crawled up and Jughead climbed on top of her and kissed her. Betty made quick work of his jeans, pushing them off his hips as they kissed.   
“Betts, I love you so much, but tonight is not the night.” Jughead said. “I think we need to explore each other a little more before we get there. And I want to try something with you. I want to eat you out. I want you to cum on my mouth.”  
“Are you sure?” Betty asked.  
“Yes. you cumming is the sexiest thing.” Jughead responded.   
“Okay,” Betty agreed.   
Jughead slowly pulled down her underwear. He kissed her mouth thoroughly, and slowly began kissing down her body. He paid extra attention to both nipples, which had her writhing underneath him. He kissed down her stomach and down both her thighs. He spread her legs and kissed up her inner thighs until he got to her core.   
“Holy fuck Betty, you’re soaked,” Jughead said, slowly dragging his fingers over her center. He then leaned down and slowly began exploring her with his tongue. He sucked on her clit, and Betty moaned. He slowly was dragging his tongue in and out of her center until Betty was practically grinding on his face.   
“Harder Jughead,” Betty screamed.  
He then stuck a finger in her with his tongue, and then two as he sucked on her clit, Betty was screaming at this point, and he felt her body shake as she became to come undone. She orgasmed hard underneath him, and Jughead lapped up all of her sweet juices.   
“That was incredible, thank you.” Betty said once she caught her breath.   
“You taste amazing, here,” He said, coming up and kissing her. Betty could taste herself on his lips.  
“Can I repay the favor?” Betty asked.  
“No, tonight was about you. And trust me, I enjoyed that plenty.” Jughead said, crawling up to bed with her. Betty excused herself to clean up, and came back in his shirt and her underwear. She crawled back into bed and fell asleep on Jughead’s chest.

The next morning Betty woke up feeling great. She was worried about a hangover feeling, but the pot left no lasting effect on her. She got out of bed and found Jughead with two cups of coffee, and handed Betty one.  
“How are you feeling?” Jughead asked.   
“Great actually,” she responded, kissing him. “I think I like weed.”   
“I’m actually sure it could really help with your anxiety. Maybe when we get home you can see someone about getting some medicinal.”  
“I think that’s a great idea.” Betty responded. They enjoyed their coffees and decided to go on a walk, exploring the city. With each new step of their relationship, they grew closer, and were nearly inseparable that day.  
After some time apart to do homework and get ready for the week, Jughead found Betty at his door that evening. “I don’t want to sleep apart anymore.” Betty said. Jughead welcomed her in and fell asleep holding Betty.


	19. Chapter 19: Setbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this into a series, and I plan to make Sabrina a bitch later installments.

Chapter 19: setbacks   
A week had passed since the party, and Jughead and Betty were as close as ever. Archie and Jughead had essentially moved into the girls’ much larger apartment, and the four of them lived together with ease. They would go to school together, two of the four would volunteer at Prayasam after classes, and the other two would make dinner together. After dinner, they played cards, or watched movies, and went to bed. On occasion when they would have a free afternoon, they would meet other members of the group and cross items of Betty’s Kolkata bucket list. Every night Betty would fall asleep in Jughead’s arms. Life was perfect. 

On Fridays, Archie and Veronica leave for class earlier than Jughead and Betty. Betty had woken up early and did her yoga practice and decided to surprise Jughead with breakfast. As she was cooking breakfast, she heard the skype ring go off on Jughead’s computer. She heard the shower running, so she decided to check to make sure it wasn’t important. Turns out it wasn’t the skype sound, but the alert for Facebook messenger.  
She saw a series of messages of Sabrina Spellman, which Betty knew was his high school ex.  
Sabrina: Hey hot stuff  
Sabrina: I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately  
Sabrina: I can’t wait for you to come home this summer  
Sabrina: Ive missed your dick  
Sabrina: I am so wet thinking about you  
After the last message came in, Betty quickly shut his laptop screen.   
‘Is he still talking to her? Is Jughead cheating on me?’ Betty wondered to herself.  
At the same time, Jughead came out of the shower and came over to Betty in the kitchen.   
“Aw thanks for breakfast babe,” he said, going in for a kiss.  
“Are you cheating on me?” Betty asked abruptly.  
“What? Absolutely not! Why on Earth would you think that?” Jughead asked.  
I thought you were getting a skype call when you were in the shower, and I checked to see who it was and it was a bunch of messages from Sabrina. Explicit messages.” Betty explained.   
“Honestly Betts, I haven't had a relationship with her for over a year, and I barely said three words to her when I was home over break. If she is messaging me, its totally out of the blue. And absolutely not reciprocated.”  
“Are you sure?” Betty asked, clearly nervous.  
“I am 100% happy with you. You’re my girl, I love you.” Jughead reassured her.  
“Even though we aren’t having sex?” Betty asked.  
“This isn’t about sex. I love you, I want a future with you.”  
“I need to know about your sexual past.” Betty asked. “I know this may be uncomfortable…”   
“No,” Jughead said, “I’ll tell you. What do you want to know?”  
“How old were you when you first had sex?” Betty asked.   
“16,” Jughead said. “It was with Sabrina at a party. I honestly just didn’t want to be a virgin anymore, and she was older than me, and it was terrible.”  
“How?”   
“Well, we tried to get in on in my friend’s parents room, and got walked in on. But I already had the condom on, so we tried to finish off in the closet, and I couldn’t keep hard. Neither of us finished.” Jughead explained.   
“How many people have you had sex with?” Betty asked.  
“Seven, including Sabrina.” Jughead answered. While clearly uncomfortable, Betty was grateful he was so forthcoming.   
“Do I know anyone?” Betty asked.  
“I don’t think so. I can give you the names if you want.” Jughead responded.  
“No, thats okay…. What have you done, sexually?”  
“I mean, pretty normal stuff. I’ve never done like BDSM or anything like that.”  
“Did you love anyone?”  
“I told Sabrina I loved her, but I don’t think I really did.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I met you. And when I met you, I realized I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”  
“That’s quite the line, Jones.” Betty replied.  
“It’s not a line, Betts. I am head over heels for you. I want you in my life forever, like literally from the moment I saw you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don’t regret my past, but if I could have known you would come into my life, I would save every single first for you.”  
“And it doesn’t bother you that I don’t have the same experience?” Betty asked.  
“No, I am honored I am the one you chose to let in.”  
“I love you, Jughead.”  
“I love you, Betts. I am going to delete those messages and tell Sabrina to back off, okay?”  
“Thank you.” Betty replied.

Jughead: Sabrina, this needs to stop. I told you over Christmas I am not interested.  
Sabrina: Come one Juggie, there’s no way your perfect little blonde is satisfying you the way I can.  
Jughead: I am serious Sab. Back off. I am not interested. Stop messaging me or I will block you.  
Sabrina: (nude picture)  
[Jughead Jones has left the chat.]  
Sabrina: Fuck you Jones, you’re mine  
[This user can no longer receive messages from you.]

“Fuck.” Jughead said out loud. Over Christmas, he had run into Sabrina. She hit on him, and he said he was interested in someone else. She was pissed and made a scene. Sabrina was never good at letting things go, and she definitely felt some twisted ownership over Jughead. He knew she wouldn’t go down easily, but at least blocking her can stop the problem for now.   
It broke his heart Betty felt this way. It killed him that she felt so insecure about the lack of experience. He had to figure out a way for Betty to know how important she was to him.

After a tense breakfast, they went to class and made plans for the evening. They had decided to go to Peter Cat for dinner and go to a local club for some dancing. There were strict rules for dress, so the girls and guys separated to get ready before dinner. Veronica took Betty shopping for a new outfit, and Jughead knew he had the perfect opportunity to ask Archie for help on how to fix things with Betty.  
“Hey Archie, can you help me with something?” Jughead asked.  
“Sure, what’s up?”   
“Betty and I kind of got into a fight this morning over an ex, and I want to make her feel better. I want to do something that she knows how important she is to me.”  
“Ya, I will help you.”   
Archie and Jughead went shopping for a gift for Betty. They stumbled upon a silver shop, and Jughead was immediately taken with a unique blue saphire ring. It matched her eyes, and he instantly knew Betty would love it. He immediately bought the ring, and picked up two roses on her way to pick up the girls. When they met the girls at the restaurant, Jughead gave each girl a rose and pulled Betty aside as Veronica was teasing Archie over how Jughead was more romantic than he was.   
“I am really sorry about this morning,” Jughead said.  
“It’s okay, I am sorry too. I just want to be enough for you.” Betty said, and Jughead could sense her defeat.  
“You’re more than enough. And I want to show you that,” Jughead replied, and grabbed the ring from his pocket. He handed Betty the box.  
“Oh, Jughead, this is beautiful,” Betty said, removing the ring from the box.   
“It matches your eyes,” Jughead explained. “I am in this for the long haul Betty. I want you to know that I plan to be in this for as long as you want me.”  
“Jug,” Betty gasped, “You’re not?”  
“No, I am not proposing, but promising. You have my heart forever. And, if you’ll let me, I promise to replace this with an engagement ring some day.”   
“Jug! I love it. Thank you, I love you.”  
“I love you so much Betty,” Jughead said and kissed her.


	20. Chapter 20: Darjeeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! And we get steamy!

Chapter 20: Darjeeling   
Life had been near perfect for Betty and Jughead. They loved the simple rhythm of life together navigating the intricacies of India. The weather had gotten significantly warmer over the last few months, and the group was ready for a vacation somewhere significantly cooler. They had decided to travel to the beautiful, mountainous region of Darjeeling. Darjeeling was an overnight train ride from Kolkata in the foothills of the Himmelayas. The region was known for the best tea in the world, and had a base camp and viewing point to see Mount Everest. And since it was at a significantly higher altitude, it would be significantly cooler, and thus more comfortable for everyone.   
The group rented out several rooms in a mountain chalet hotel, booked their tickets, and got ready to go the following weekend.   
As the date got closer, Betty’s anxiety started to kick in. She was nervous about the overnight portion of the trip. She knew to manage her anxiety, she needed to sleep, but the idea that she could be sleeping and anyone could walk by and hurt her made her paranoid. The day they were leaving, Jughead as lounging on Betty’s bed as she packed. He noticed she was extremely tense as she meticulously packed and repacked items in her bag, asking him countless questions on if she had enough warm clothes.   
“Betts, is something bugging you?” Jughead asked, concern written all over his face. He pulled her hand away from her duffle bag and pulled her onto his lap.  
“I’m… I’m nervous about the train.” Betty confessed, embarrassment written on her face.   
“Oh, hun, I didn’t even think this might make you nervous! I should have. What can I do to comfort you?” Jughead asked, tilting Betty’s chin towards his face so she would look him in the eye.   
“I don’t know. I just am nervous about the sleeping portion. I know I can take my meds and fall asleep, but anyone could walk by and that makes me really paranoid. I don’t want to be unable to fight someone off if I need to.” Betty explained, tears filling her eyes.  
“Hey, how about this. You and me can take the top bunk and ill snuggle you in that little train bed. Archie and Veronica can be in the beds below. That way you are surrounded by people you trust who wouldn’t let anything happen.” Jughead suggested.   
“That sounds good,” Betty said quietly, softly smiling at Jughead.   
After Jughead calmed her nerves, she finished packing and they headed to the train station. Once on the train, they played some cards with Archie, Veronica, Cheryl and Toni in their cabin. After a while, the conductor announced that the main lights would be turning off for the overnight portion of their travel. Jughead had explained the sleeping plan to Archie when Veronica and Betty went to the bathroom to get red for bed. When they got back, Archie and Jughead had already pulled down and set up the beds. Veronica and Archie settled into their respective beds on the bottom row. Veronica wasn’t a cuddler, and definitely wasn’t going to share a smaller-than-twin bed with Archie. Betty climbed into the bed above Archie’s and Jughead followed. Betty curled into the corner, and Jughead snuggled into her.   
“I am so in love with you, Betty Cooper, and I am going to protect you and keep you safe.” Jughead promised as he whispered in her ear, kissing the back of her head.   
“I love you, Jughead Jones.” Betty whispered back. 

They arrived in Darjeeling very early in the morning and checked into their hotel. Veronica and Archie had the most impressive suite, which is where they would party later. Jughead and Betty had a less ornate, but beautiful room. It had a fireplace and a bathtub that Betty could not wait to utilize with Jughead later. The group decided to relax a little bit before exploring, and had agreed to meet for lunch in the lobby in a few hours. As Jughead built a fire in the fireplace, Betty started running the tub.   
“What are you doing over there?” Jughead asked, hearing the water running.  
“I thought I could use a bath after that train ride.” Betty said, “Are you planning on joining me?”   
Jughead turned around to see Betty slipping of her leggings and Patagonia sweater from the ride. In a few short strides, he was at the tub, wrapping his arms around Betty’s naked frame.   
“Of course I will,” Jughead responded as he disrobed. Betty slid into the bath first and leaned forward for Jughead to climb in behind her. He massaged her back and kissed her neck.   
“Hmm, that feels nice.” Betty sighed, leaning back into Jughead further.  
Jughead snaked his arms around the front of Betty, brushing slightly at her breasts.   
“Don’t stop,” Betty cried. As one hand tweaked Betty’s nipples, the other snaked down her front and teased her entrance. Despite the water, he could feel that she was wet. She cried in pleasure as he circled her clit, slowly sliding a finger in. “Oh God Jug,” Betty cried as he pushed his fingers in and out of her. He felt her body clench around his fingers, crying out his name as she orgasmed. Betty turned her body around and straddled Jughead’s lap and kissed him thoroughly.   
“Thank you,” Betty said breathlessly.  
“Anytime,” Jughead said with a smirk. “I mean it, literally any time you want to scream my name, I am game.”  
Betty laughed and sighed into him. “Want me to?” She questioned, looking down at Jughead.   
“No, that was great for me too, babe. Plus, I think we actually need to shower if we want to be ready to meet everyone.” They finished washing off and got dressed for the day. It was nice to be in clothes for cooler weather again. Jughead missed his cold-weather clothes, especially his beloved beanie. He pulled it on and instantly felt comforted. Though, he realized he didn’t need it so much anymore. It used to be a security blanket; his way to block out the rest of the world. But since Betty came into his life, he didn’t need to block it out.   
They met for lunch and some shopping. Betty and Veronica had found some cute sherpa sweaters and were having a blast exploring. All the shops were touristy, focusing on the Everest crowd, but Betty was having a blast, and Jughead was loving seeing Betty so carefree.   
Betty grabbed one of the winter hats off the rack and came over to Jughead with a big smile. She placed the hat on top of his beanie, and giggled at her work.  
“You into the double hat look Betts?” Jughead teased and Betty laughed- his favorite sound in the world.  
“I thought it might be an improvement,” She teased.   
“You’re not a fan of my beanie Betts?” Jughead questioned, raising his eyebrows and smirking at her.  
“I’m a fan of you, and if you like the beanie, than I’m a fan of it.” She smiled with satisfaction.  
“Maybe you need a new hat. It’s cold here, and New York gets cold…” Jughead said, searching the racks for the perfect hat. He found a grey hat with a colorful pom, and placed it on her golden locks. She looked adorable. “Well, I have to get this for you. I have never seen anything cuter.” He said with a smile. He grabbed the hat off her head and headed to the register. He checked out and met Betty, Archie, and Veronica outside and put the hat back on Betty’s head.   
“Oh Betty, you look adorable!” Veronica gushed as Betty blushed. They continued their exploration of the town when they came to a clearing. The view of the mountains was breathtaking. Jughead pulled out his camera and took some pictures of the landscape.   
“Veronica, Archie, do you guys want a picture together?” Jughead asked.  
“Oh! Yes!” Veronica squealed as she pulled Archie close for a picture. Jughead was struck at how perfect they were together. His focus had always been on Betty that he hadn’t spent much time to notice Archie and Veronica. They were always so at ease with each other, complimented each other perfectly. He smiled as he took a couple different shots of them.   
“Betty, you and me next!” Veronica said with cheer, pulling her bestie into a hug. The pictures of the girls were adorable. Jughead captured their natural smiles as they laughed.  
“Ok, now you and Betty.” Veronica ordered. He handed over his camera, surprised how trusting he was with it. Veronica took a couple shots of them smiling, and then Jughead turned to look at Betty.   
“I love you.” Jughead said.  
“I love you too,” Betty said with a great smile. And that, with the two of them staring longingly into each other’s eyes, was the best picture of the night. 

They called an early night because they had plans to go to the Everest viewing point for sunrise the next morning. A car was going to pick them up at 3 AM to drive them to the look out point. Betty’s alarm went off at 2:15, and Jughead groaned into her hair.   
“Too. Early.” Jughead moaned. Betty rolled over and started kissing his face.   
“Come on, sleepy head. The quicker you get out of bed, the quicker we get you coffee.” She said, placing one final kiss on his lips. She rolled out of bed, and started getting dressed, and Jughead watched her. He was so proud of her and how she was growing. While they had started to be intimate a while ago, she would grab her clothes and change in the bathroom or somewhere where he couldn’t see. But over the last few weeks, she started changing in the room. He tried to not watch her, but when he would sneak a peak, she would smile, showing her comfort with it. So he started watching. Not in a creepy way, but in a loving, ‘I can’t believe I get to be with this woman’ kind of way. Once she was dressed, Jughead climbed out of bed and did the same.   
Once they were thoroughly bundled up, Betty wearing her new hat from Jughead, they headed to the outlook point. When they arrived, there were a few other groups of tourists, but they were able to get a spot right along the railing. As the sun began to rise, the clouds started to part and for a few moments, you could see Everest. It was breathtaking.   
“Have you ever seen anything more incredible?” Betty asked.  
Jughead looked at her, the awe and wonder on her face, he truly hadn’t seen anything more incredible. “No, no I haven’t,” He replied, keeping his eyes locked on her.

After they all napped from the early morning, they decided to check out a tea plantation and the botanical gardens. The tea plantation was awesome and the gardens were beautiful. And they were also so grateful to be cold. Though, Jughead was regretting his drunk smoking habit. The elevation and constant hill climbing were killing his lungs, which had his very athletic girlfriend giggling up a storm every time he was winded after a block. They found a little restaurant for dinner, and the group of 12 filled the restaurant. The food was incredible, pretty different from the food they had in Kolkata. After dinner, they decided a night of drinking and dancing in Archie and Veronica’s extra fancy suite would make the whole trip a smashing success.   
Everyone was enjoying themselves, having a great time. Betty had made herself comfortable next to the fireplace on the most comfortable couch she’s experienced since being in India. India had a lot of great things, but comfortable furniture was not one of them. She was laughing with Cheryl and Toni, when Reggie came by and sat next to Betty.   
“Your boy toy sent me over with this,” Reggie teased, handing Betty a refreshed drink.   
“Thanks Reg,” Betty replied, accepting the drink. She looked over to Jughead, who was talking to Archie and Moose, and he winked at her. “Enjoying the vacation?” Betty asked Reggie.  
“Hell ya, I was dying of heat.” Reggie laughed.   
“Me too! I am much more of a cool weather gal. Give me my winter gear any day.”   
“Agreed Coop, agreed.” The conversation continued, and Betty was really enjoying talking to Reggie. He was fun and hilarious. And he was Jughead’s friend, and Betty really wanted to make an effort with his friends. After all, he spent so much time getting to know her friends, it was only fair. Soon the weed was pulled out, and Betty decided it was time to find Jug.   
“Hey,” Betty said with a sultry voice, slinking her arms around his waist.   
“Hey beautiful, Jughead responded, pulling her in for a kiss.   
“How about we get out of here?” Betty asked, flirtation on his voice. They snuck out while everyone was occupied and made their way to their room. As soon as the door was shut, Betty was on him.   
“Woah, there, eager beaver.” Jughead laughed.  
“I want you. All of you. Tonight.” Betty said, breathlessly.  
“Betty,” Jughead said, pulling her shoulders so he could look her in the eyes. “Are you sure?”  
“I am. I want this. I’ve wanted this for a while. I love you, Jug.”  
“I love you.” He responded, kissing her deeply. He led her over to the bed until his knees hit and he sat down. Betty climbed on his lap. Jughead helped her out of her sweater and he pulled off his own. Jughead kissed down her body, slowly disrobing her. Once she was naked, Jughead pulled off his jeans and climbed on top of her.   
“I love you,” Jughead whispered in her ear.  
“I love you,” Betty replied, smiling. Jughead kissed down her body and pulled her underwear off.   
“I want to make you feel everything.” Jughead said and went to work. He gently kissed her clit and dragged his tongue along her opening. As he explored her with his tongue, he slid a hand up her body and toyed with her nipples. Betty’s body arched off the bed, crying his names. “Oh God, yes Jug.” she cried, orgasming.   
Jughead looked up and smiled at her, climbing up to kiss her. Betty was so turned on tasting herself in his mouth. “Are you still sure you want to do this?” Jughead asked.  
“Yes.” Betty said. “But…”   
“What? What is it?” Jughead asked with concern.  
“You can’t be on top of me. I… I won’t be able to handle it.”  
“I have no issues with you being on top, babe.” Jughead said, kissing her. “I have an idea.” he said, climbing off of her. Jughead situated himself into a seated position, “Come here,” he said, patting his lap. Betty climbed on his lap. “How would this work?” He asked, kissing her.  
“Perfect,” Betty smiled, deepening the kiss. As they kissed and she reached onto the nightstand and grabbed a condom. She leaned back as Jughead put it on.   
“If you want to stop at any time,” Jughead said.  
“I know.” Betty said. “I’m ready.”  
“Okay,” Jughead said, lining himself up. Betty sank down on him, wincing at the initial intrusion.   
“You good?” Jughead asked, searching her eyes.   
“Yes,” Betty replied, kissing him. Slowly she started moving her hips against him as Jughead thrusted up to meet her. They found a rhythm, Jughead kissing her neck as he toyed with her nipples. “I love you Betty,” Jughead said between kisses.  
“I love you so much,” Betty cried.  
“I am getting close,” Jughead said, moving his hands down her body to rub her clit. She was so wet that he almost came right there. He built her pleasure until he could feel her clamping down on him.   
“Yes!” Betty cried, orgasming, and pulling Jughead’s with her.   
“Oh God, Betty,” He sighed, dropping his head into her shoulder, kissing it. “That was amazing.”  
“So perfect,” Betty said, pulling his face forward so she could kiss him. He pulled out and Betty climbed off so he could dispose of the condom. Betty snuck away, remembering something about needing to pee after sex to avoid a UTI. She came back and Jughead was lounging in bed, sheets covering his clearly naked bottom half.   
“Come cuddle with me,” Jughead said, opening his arms. Betty, climbed into his open arms. Jughead kissed the top of her head. “I love you Betts, and I am so proud of you.”   
“I love you Jug,” Betty replied, kissing him. “Was that… Was that good for you?” Betty asked.  
“What? Of course it was!” Jughead responded.  
“It’s just… was I good?” Betty asked. “I know I am not very experienced…”   
“Betty, look at me.” Jughead said, pulling her so she could look into eyes. “I love you Betty. I have never felt this way about anyone. I made love to you tonight, babe. And I have never done that with anyone. It was like my soul was connecting with yours. I just,”  
Betty cut him off with a deep kiss. “I love you so much, Jughead.” She said climbing on his lap again. “Could we?” Betty asked, innocence in her eyes.  
“Absolutely,” he said, pulling her into a kiss and reaching for another condom. Not long after the room was filled with their moans and cries of love and passion, and they fell asleep happier than either of them had ever been.

Betty woke up curled into Jughead’s chest. She lifted her head, smiling at him. “Mmm, early.” Jughead said, feeling her stir.   
“Not that early,” Betty laughed. “Come on, if you wake up, I’ll let you make love to me in the shower.” She teased as she climbed out of bed.   
That was all the teasing he needed and a few minutes later she was moaning his name as he went down on her as the water cascaded down her back.

The pair arrived to breakfast, freshly showered, and definitely in love. “Oh my God, you two had sex.” Veronica squealed.   
“Jesus, Veronica, does the whole dining room need to know!” Betty hissed.   
“Well, am I wrong?” Veronica asked smugly. Which was answered with a look and a smile between the guilty pair.   
“Jesus, Ron, Betty is basically my sister. I didn’t need to know that.” Archie groaned.  
“Sorry man.” Jughead responded, smiling, clearly not sorry about what he had done with Betty, repeatedly.   
After breakfast, they went to a Everest base camp and museum. It was so interesting to learn the history of the climb, especially the sherpas. While the boys were busy, Veronica pulled Betty outside under the guise of ‘coffee’.   
“So, spill.” Veronica said, handing Betty a coffee.   
“What do you want to know?” Betty responded.  
“What do I want to know? Everything!”   
“You already know. We had sex.”  
“And how was it?”  
“It was amazing. He’s amazing. I love him so much Veronica.”  
“Aw B! I am so happy for you!”   
“I am too,” Betty smiled.

After a few more hours exploring they had to pack back up and leave for their overnight train home. As they were leaving, the sun was setting over the mountain.   
“Hey, stop for a second.” Jughead said to Betty. “Let me take your picture.”  
Betty turned to him, eyes full of love, and smiled. In the picture, you could see the mountains and the sunset, and Betty looked beautiful. As he flipped through his camera on the train later that night, he was just reminded how great this all was. Later, when he pulled Betty into his chest to sleep on the train, he knew it was the best weekend of his life.


	21. Chapter 21: Stressed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I intended to start another long chapter, but decided to write pure smut instead. So, here it is.

Chapter 21: Stressed   
The last few weeks of the semester flew by. It was hot, and it was hard to focus and get things done, while still enjoying the time. Betty was working in overdrive; doing extra community visits at Prayasm, completing her assignments, and trying to complete her bucket list. Jughead was getting a little nervous. He didn’t want Betty to wear herself out and she had been growing more distant. They hadn’t had sex since Darjeeling, which wasn’t the problem, but he could feel Betty pushing him away. He wanted to support her, but he wasn’t sure how.   
Betty was working away in her room one night when Jughead was able to talk to Veronica about his concerns.  
“Veronica, does Betty always take things… so seriously?” Jughead asked.  
“You mean does she get a little intense? Ya its pretty normal. She’s such a perfectionist. She was under a lot of pressure to succeed, and she gets in her head during this time.”  
“I kind of feel like she’s pushing me out. And I don’t want to push her to let me in, but I also want her to know she doesn’t have to be alone.” Jughead confessed.  
“She needs to turn her mind off. When she gets like this, in her head, she needs to let out steam and get out of her own way. Normally I would take her to a kickboxing class or a night out dancing, but I think you might be able to think of a way that could help her turn her mind off for a while.” Veronica said with a smirk.  
“I am going to spend the night at your place,” Veronica said, grabbing her bag. “Have fun!” She said, closing the door with a smile. 

“Hey beautiful,” Jughead said, coming into Betty’s room. “I brought you some tea.”  
“Oh, thank you Jug!” Betty replied, accepting the tea.   
“Are you ready to turn in for the night?” Jughead asked, giving her a hug from behind.  
“Ugh, I should, I am just…” Betty said, starting to tear up. “I am feeling really overwhelmed.”  
“Betts, it’s study abroad. You will get an A just by turning in the assignment.” Jughead comforted her.   
“I know, you’re right.” Betty responded, turning around into Jughead. “You’re right.”  
“What if I helped you… turn your mind off?” Jughead asked with a smirk.   
“What did you have in mind?” Betty asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  
“Well, I have heard orgasms are really good stress relief.” He teased.   
“Oh ya?” Betty asked, pulling him into a kiss.   
“Definitely.” Jughead responded, deepening the kiss.   
Jughead pulled Betty on top of him as he shifted up her bed. Betty was pulling his hair, exploring his mouth with her tongue. Jughead slid his hands up the back of Betty’s shirt, gently scratching her back. Betty pulled back, and looked him in the eyes and removed her shirt. Jughead’s hands immediately ran up her waist towards her breast, teasing her nipples through her bra. Betty reached around and unclasped it, allowing the garment to fall in between them, Jughead quickly threw the bra across the room, pulling her in for a kiss. Betty pulled at his shirt, which he sat up and removed it.   
Betty started unbuttoning his jeans, pushing them down his hips. Jughead pushed her leggings down her legs, and both giggled as they had to part to remove their pants. They were both a little breathless, they came back together in a kiss.   
“May I?” Jughead asked, toying with her underwear. “Yes.” Betty responded breathlessly, pushing at his boxers. Once they were naked, the air shifted. It was thick with tension. Betty reached over to her dresser and grabbed a condom from the drawer.   
“Do you want to?” Betty asked. “Yes,” Jughead responded immediately. She opened the packet and he helped her roll the sheath on. Betty slid herself down on him, both of their breaths hitching. Jughead lay flat as Betty brought herself to her knees, riding Jughead. He linked their fingers together, his hips thrusting to meet hers. Betty looked like a goddess riding him, and he had never seen anything hotter.   
“I’m close,” Betty cried.  
Jughead unlinked their hands and gently toyed her nipples, knowing if she orgasmed it would pull out his own. Not long after, Betty was crying out his name, as Jughead moaned hers.   
“Holy shit,” Jughead said after Betty rolled off of him.  
“Is it always that good?” Betty laughed.   
“With you, always.” Jughead responded. “I love you so much,” he said, giving her a kiss on the temple.  
“I love you,” Betty said, smiling at him. “Thank you for that, by the way. Way better than the kickboxing Veronica usually takes me to,” She said, teasing.   
“So when we get back and you get stressed, you’re saying I can come have mindblowing sex with you to get you out of your head?” Jughead teased back, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.   
“Yes, anytime I start to get all intense, you have full permission to distract me with your manly ways.” Betty replied with a laugh. 

After their sexy night of distraction, Betty seemed much better. She let go of her perfectionist ways with her remaining assignments and spent more time with her friends, enjoying the remaining time they had left. She knew the days were limited, but she hoped the relationships she built were not. So instead of focusing on school, she focused on the people that mattered most.


	22. Chapter 22: Southbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long update. I have the second half of this chapter already written and a plan for the rest. I hope to get on a more weekly schedule for the rest of this series!
> 
> As per usual, these are real places based on my real experience in India!

Chapter 22: Southbound  
They only had two more weeks left in their scheduled time in India, and a full 10 days of that was going to be Spent exploring Kerala in Southern India. It was technically a school trip, though they would have a lot of freedom on how the time would be spent. They had a few organized tours and a couple performances they needed to attend for their art credit, but beyond that they planned to spend a lot of time on the beach and exploring the different cities on their stops.   
The first stop was Kochi, one of the major cities in Kerala. They were staying in a luxury hotel with an amazing infinity pool. Their rooms were incredible. They had huge bathrooms with jetted tubs. The bathroom had one way glass so you could see the TV from the tub. The beds were the absolutely softest beds they have probably ever had; but especially during their time in India.   
“Ok, I think this might be heaven.” Betty sighed, dramatically flopping on the bed.   
“Holy shit, this is incredible. Jughead said, placing their bags by the closet. “Maybe we can just stay here all day.”  
“Or you can see me in a bikini for the first time,” Betty teased, digging in her bag. While the modesty culture was definitely still in place, they were told they could wear bikinis as the pool and shorts or dresses when traveling, as long as they weren’t too revealing. Which wasn’t a huge issue for Betty.  
Jughead sprung off the bed so quickly he almost fell over. Betty giggled and dug out her bikini from her bag. It was a simple, athletic cut teal top with classic black, full coverage bikini bottoms. She slipped on her favorite black running shorts and a white tank top from her sorority rush week and headed up to the pool.   
“B!! I made margaritas!” Veronica screeched as soon as Betty and Jughead were in sight.   
“Of course you did,” Jughead laughed as he sat down on the chairs next to them.   
“I live to be the life of the party,” Veronica replied with a literal hair flip.   
Betty accepted the drink and took off her tank top.   
“Hot damn, B! Teal is your color.” Veronica praised Betty.  
“Honestly, Ron, sometimes I think you might be after my girlfriend,” Jughead teased, while definitely checking out Betty’s ass in her little bikini bottoms.  
“Well, V was my first kiss in college.” Betty admitted, as she sat in front of Jughead to put sunscreen on her.  
“What? You two?” Jughead questioned, turning Betty to look in her eyes. He was, as the kids say, woke. He would absolutely be okay dating a bisexual woman, but Betty had never given any indication she was.  
“Oh my God, why did you have to bring that up?” Archie groaned.   
“We kissed during an alcohol fueled game of spin the bottle. It was nothing.” Betty replied.  
“It was definitely hot though,” Veronica teased. Archie groaned and put a towel over his face, clearly not loving the mental image of his sister kissing his girlfriend.   
They all loved the pool day. Betty had taken over the role of group mom, reminding everyone to properly hydrate and to reapply sunscreen often. Her athletic side came to play in an intense game of pool volleyball. Archie and Betty were crushing Reggie and Moose, and for the second round Reggie insisted on Betty as his partner. When Betty still won with a different partner, Moose dubbed her volleyball goddess and paraded her around the pool on his shoulders. She was dying laughing, and her smile was brighter than Jughead had ever seen it. When the pool parade turned into chicken, Betty climbed out of the pool and intentionally dripped water on Jughead to ‘cool him off.’   
“What do I hear about you being a volleyball goddess?” Jughead teased, pulling Betty onto his pool chair.   
“I just have to remind the boys that anything they can do, girls can do better,” she said with a wink. He pulled Betty down and kissed her. 

Archie watched the whole interaction from the pool. He was so freaking proud of his best friend. When Betty was little, she was always filled with light. Then her dad got sick, and she started fading. And then she was raped, and that light faded even more. The girl who used to be outgoing, putting bullies in their place, making rooms of people laugh, and lighting up the room with just a smile seemed so far from the girl he had known for the last two years. Sure, she still had the best smile and the most contagious laugh, but it was reserved for those who knew her in the before. And then she met Jughead. Before Jughead, there was no way in hell she would have gone on Moose’s shoulders in the pool, kissed someone so publicly, or (though he doesn’t want to think about it) had sex with someone. He changed her, he brought back her light. Over the last couple months he was seeing the beautiful, adventurous, wild little girl he loved. And he couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful guy who made it possible. 

After a few days exploring the city, the group was headed out of the city a bit to a tea plantation in Munnar. The group was required to tour the plantation, but the rest of the two days was theirs. They were touring the plantation early on their first day, which left them with a good amount of time to explore on their own. The plantation was located a bit into the mountains, and the town of Munnar was so adorable. There were tons of shops nearby and even a spa that specializes in an oil treatment called Ayurveda.   
The plantation was beautiful. Betty had never seen this much green in her entire life, and the air was so fresh and clean; especially compared to the air they had been breathing in the city. The plantation tour was interesting, but also offered great opportunities for pictures, and Betty and Jughead wandered around, taking candids of their group and of the beautiful scenery. While Jughead felt that Betty was the most perfect person to be in front of the camera, it was very clear how natural she was behind it. She specialized in people; capturing raw emotion and true identity of her subjects. She loved it, and Jughead loved watching her pursue this passion. He was grateful to have a front row seat of her passion and was excited to see where she was going to go.  
After the plantation tour, everyone went back to their resort. While on the outside it was not as glitzy as some of the others; it was definitely the most unique and truly beautiful. The resort was built into the hills, and surrounded by three sides. The buildings were only three stories, and in the middle was a beautiful restaurant and pool and a hot tub. The group decided to relax for the afternoon. The girls did some quick shopping in the local shops, and they definitely all had an American tourist vibe. The girls met the guys at the pool and decided to eat at the restaurant so they could enjoy so much more time in the beautiful resort. After a delicious meal (Jughead was loving the Southern Indian cuisine) the group spent the remainder of the evening by the pool and firepit. They had a few bottles of wine and beer for the group, and everyone was just enjoying togetherness. Betty, Jughead, Archie, Veronica, Cheryl and Toni were lounging in the hot tub.  
“So,” Toni started, “What is everyone going to do when we go home?”  
“Ugh I do not want to think about that yet,” Jughead groaned, pulling Betty into his side. He knew he would be going back to Alaska, and Betty would stay in New York. After 4 straight months of togetherness, he did not even want to begin to think what the three months apart would feel like. Betty squeezed his knee under the water, offering a comforting smile.   
“Betty and I are going to be camp counselors at this camp we went to at kids,” Archie responded. Betty and Archie had been involved in this local day camp for years. Betty was a counselor, and Archie was the high ropes manager. Betty loved camp. She loved being outdoors and spending time with kids. While it wasn’t always the best resume builder, as her mother liked to remind her, it was home. And it paid well, which allowed her to focus on building her resume in college.   
“While these two may like the smell of bug spray and think that dirt can be a fashion statement, I will be interning with Lacy’s in Manhattan in the finance department.” Veronica replied. While Manhattan was only a few hours from Riverdale, they definitely felt the separation anxiety Jughead was feeling.   
“Well TT and I will be splitting our time between Brooklyn and Riverdale, so it looks like we will see you both. What about you Jughead?”  
“Well unfortunately, I am heading back to Alaska. I probably will work at the same rafting company I have for the last few years.”  
“That’s so cool Jug!” Toni replied.  
“Ya, its just so far from Betty.” Jughead said, locking eyes with her. Betty offered him a sad smile, and leaned in for a kiss. Betty was heartbroken too that Jughead would be Alaska for the summer. She knew she was going to miss him like crazy, and he had been so helpful in her recovery. She was afraid of losing some of the progress they made. But, as she reminded herself every day, FaceTime exists, and she had asked him to come to the lakehouse with Archie and Veronica for the Fourth of July.   
“Well, lucky for us, it doesn’t have to end tonight.” Veronica reminded, raising her glass, “Cheers to an Amazing semester, and making the most of our time left!” Everyone clinked their glasses, and shared another glass before Betty started to feel frisky and decided to call it a night.  
As soon as the door was shut, Betty was on him. “Let’s make the most of the time we have left, Jug.” Jughead immediately picked her up and brought her to the bed. As she lay there, in only a bikini with wet, curly hair creating a halo, Jughead thought Betty looked like a goddess.   
“I love you,” Jughead said, climbing on top of her. Betty made quick work of his trunks as Jughead removed Betty’s top. He slid down her bottoms and kissed up her legs, paying attention to her core, and making her way to her mouth. He rolled his tongue over each of her nipples, and Betty responded with a moan and arching her back.   
“I need you Jug.” He reached for the condom Betty had strategically placed when she unpacked earlier, and rolled it on.   
“I want you on top.” Betty said.  
“Are you sure?” Jughead asked, kneeling above her.   
“Yes. I love you.”  
Jughead lined himself up with Betty and kissed her as he inserted himself into her. He locked eyes with Betty, and she locked her heels around his back. “Move, babe.” Betty asked, and Jughead thrust himself into her. Betty’s head rolled back, and Jughead took the opportunity to kiss and bite her neck, definitely leaving hickies. He pulled out slightly, and Betty put one leg on his shoulder. “I’m into yoga,” she reminded him with a wink.  
Jughead thrust into her, “holy shit, you’re so deep like this.” Betty cried.   
“I am so close,” Betty cried. Jughead pinched her nipples and kissed her hard. Betty orgasmed hard around him, and Jughead emptied himself into the condom. He pulled out and rolled Betty into his side.   
“I did it.” Betty said with a smile and kissed his chest.   
“I am so proud of you, babe.” Jughead said, kissing her head. He felt tears on his chest, and he knew tears were pricking his own eyes. This was a huge hurdle to overcome, and he was so proud to be on this journey with her.

Betty woke up early for her prescheduled spa treatment with the girls. The Ayruveda treatment involved an oil drip on the top of the forehead, and a steam in a hot tub. Betty had found a spa that only had female therapists, and was so relaxed when they left. As Betty slipped off the robe to lay on the table, Veronica noticed the hickies scattering Betty’s neck.   
“Looks like you and Jughead had fun last night,” Veronica teased.  
“Oh we definitely did,” Betty responded. Though bright red, she responded with confidence.   
“Dang, I like this confident Betty!”   
“V…”   
“What?!”  
“He was on top last night…”  
“Wait, really?”   
“Yes!”  
“Aw Betts! I am so proud of you! Who knew I would be this excited of missionary,” Veronica said with a wink.   
“Well, it wasn’t exactly missionary… I definitely used my flexibility to my advantage.”  
“Confident, sexy B is my new favorite.”


	23. Chapter 23: Southbound Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and Smut

Chapter 23: Southbound Part 2  
They met the group for breakfast, and loaded onto a bus to go to an elephant sanctuary. Elephants were Betty’s favorite animal. They are the only other animal to mourn death, and they are kind and caring to each other. Betty had never been so close to an elephant, and she had tears in her eyes. They were magnificent creatures. Jughead snapped a picture of Betty as she pet the nose of one of them. She had a look of pure joy and amazement as she looked her favorite animal in the eyes.   
“You’re beautiful when you are mesmerized Betts.” Jughead said to her as he came up to pet the same elephant.   
“Did you know elephants are the only other creature to mourn death? They have a strong sense of self and are highly empathetic and have a major focus on community.” Betty replied, awe and wonder still in her eyes.   
Jughead smiled as Betty continued listing all sorts of fun facts about elephants as they made their way out of the sanctuary to the bus. At the exit of the sanctuary, there was a little shop of local goods made by women who were survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Betty had to stop. She purchased several items of jewelry and a beautiful, soft rainbow scarf. Jughead wandered the shop and found a chain of rainbow elephants meant for doorways. It was supposed to give good luck and peace to all those who enter the room. He knew Betty would love it, so while she was distracted, he bought them for her and planned to surprise her with them when they got back.   
The group boarded the bus to go to their final destination of their trip. They were staying at a beach resort. They had two full days to just hang out by the beach and relax. They were staying in little bungalows and the resort was beautiful. Everyone felt immediately relaxed as soon as they entered the resort. Everyone checked into their rooms and got their suits to go to the beach.   
They all felt like little kids who were seeing the ocean for the first time. Everyone immediately dropped all of their belongings and ran into the water; splashing and dunking each other, the air filled with their laughter. Once everyone adjusted to the excitement of the ocean, the group settled into the beach. Archie, Reggie, and Moose were tossing a football around. Veronica, Josie, Toni and Kevin were tanning, Ethel and Cheryl were lounging under a canopy because they were far too fair to lounge in the sun that long, and the rest of the group was spread throughout the water.   
Betty and Jughead had swum out into the deeper water. Jughead could still touch, but Betty had to tread a little bit. She rolled onto her back and floated in the warm, Indian ocean water. “Is this heaven?” Betty teased. Jughead pulled her from her float and she wrapped her legs around him. “It might be.” Jughead said.   
After a few more hours of swimming and sun, the sun began to set. Everyone was cuddled up with towels, watching the sun dip down past the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets they had ever seen.   
Jughead pulled the towel over his and Betty’s shoulders, and she snuggled into his side. Shortly after they heard the click of a camera. Betty turned around to see Veronica sheepishly setting down the camera. “I couldn’t resist,” she whispered and winked, curling herself into Archie. 

After the sun went down, the group headed back to the resort for dinner and to relax in the hot tubs. Veronica had somehow found champagne, and they were enjoying the bubbles in the hot tub.   
“We should play a game!” Veronica squealed. “Oh! Never have I ever!”  
“Ron, what could we possibly have left to learn about each other?” Jughead moaned, still a little fearful of the game bringing up insecurities with his relationship with Betty.  
“I’m down,” Betty said, smiling bright. “There’s always more we can learn about each other.”  
“Okay, I’m first. Never have I ever had a threeway.” No one drank. “Dang it, I thought it could be juicy,” Veronica said, disappointed.   
“Never have I ever streaked,” Jughead said next. Archie took a sip. “Ill fated rugby orientation.” He explained, Betty and Veronica giggling at the memory.   
“Never have I ever skinny dipped.” Betty said. Archie and Veronica drank.  
“Never have I ever had sex on a beach.” Archie said next. Jughead couldn’t even pay attention to what Veronica said next because he felt Betty’s tiny hand slip up his leg under the water. Jughead cleared his throat, face getting red.   
“Jughead?” Veronica asked.   
“I’m sorry, what?” Jughead said, coughing.  
“I said you’re next.” Veronica replied.   
“Oh sorry, guess the bubbles are getting to my head.” Knowing full well it had to do with the nibble fingers gently caressing his bulge.   
“Ya, maybe we should call it a night babe?” Betty asked, giving him the most sultry eyes he had ever seen. Jughead hopped out of the hot tub, quickly grabbing a towel to cover his growing bulge. Betty waved good night, quickly following her boyfriend.   
As soon as they were out of sight, Jughead pushed Betty up against the door of their bungalow, attacking her lips.   
“I was thinking…” Betty said as Jughead kissed her neck.   
“Yes?” Jughead smirked.  
“What if we checked a couple things off for our next time of never have I ever?”  
“What did you have in mind?”   
“I was thinking a two for one… skinny dipping and sex in the ocean?”  
Jughead grabbed Betty’s hand and nearly sprinted to the beach. As soon as they made it, they wandered down a bit to where the lights of the resort were less visible. Betty walked towards the water and took of her suit and set it on the towels she grabbed as they ran. Jughead stripped and walked towards Betty. They walked into the water and started kissing as soon as they made it out deep enough to cover them.  
“Hi,” Betty breathed, excitement behind her eyes.  
“You’re the sexiest person alive.” Jughead stated. He kissed her, and Betty immediately deepened it, wrapping her legs around his waist. They kissed for a while until Betty could feel him hard.   
“Shit, babe, I don’t have a condom.” Jughead said, breathless.  
“Just pull out.” Betty said, kissing his neck. She lined herself up with him and he thrust into her. “Oh god,” Betty moaned. The thrill of having sex in public had them worked up, bringing them to climax quickly. Betty moaned loudly as Jughead pulled out quickly, cumming in the water.  
They kissed some more under the moonlight. They walked out and redressed, wrapping up in towels and walking back to their bungalow. They showered together and crawled into bed naked.   
“Best night ever,” Jughead said, kissing the back of her head.

The next morning Betty convinced Jughead to take a walk down the beach, which was significantly more strenuous than Betty had originally implied. Betty could not stop laughing throughout their hike as Jughead huffed and puffed his way through the   
They joined the group very sweaty, and were grateful they had the ocean to jump into immediately. The group had rented some boogie boards from the resort, and they spent the day playing games and enjoying their last day.   
“We need group pictures!” Veronica said, corralling everyone together and electing the help from another beach patron. After several group pictures, the group separated for smaller group pictures. Feeling bold, Jughead took the picture opportunity to dip Betty to a kiss as the ocean waves crashed around them. Everyone cheered. Jughead brought Betty back up and she was flustered but happy.   
“You’re ridiculous, Jughead Jones.” Betty said, smiling at him.  
“You love it.” He responded with a smile.   
“I love you.” Betty said.  
“I love you too, Betty Cooper.” Jughead Jones said.

The next day they were back on an airplane headed back to Kolkata for a few days before their trip officially ended. As Betty slept peacefully on his shoulder, he kissed her head, ready for the adventures ahead.


	24. Closing Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a literal Facebook post from my time in India in 2015! I am so nostalgic for it right now.   
> Short sweet, getting ready to take this story back into the USA!

Betty had a list.  
Visit her favorite shop one more time   
Get one last fresh coconut on the way to class  
Gather contact information for students she grew close with at Prayasm  
Spend one last night with Jughead, Veronica and Archie on the roof to see the Kolkata sunset  
Sunrise yoga   
It was achievable, considering they did have to at least show up to their finals, even though Jughead kept reminding Betty that study abroad was intentionally easy and not meant to impact her perfect GPA.  
Throughout her last week in Kolkata, Betty reflected on how much she had grown. She had taken a leap of faith and applied for a program well outside her comfort zone. She took chances. She fell in love. She overcame obstacles that she didn’t even know were possible.   
As Betty sat on the roof, enjoying one last glass of wine with the Kolkata sun setting in the background, Jughead’s arms around her, and her best friends at her side, Betty realized that from this moment on, her life would be different.   
Later that night, she logged into her rarely used Facebook page to post what she had journaled.  
“Top 10 Things I’ve Learned in India: Week 18  
10\. It is absolutely eerie if you go a whole day without hearing a car horn  
9\. It is possible to choke on spicy smoke  
8\. Most Indians are genuinely friendly and willing to help  
7\. Even in 110 degree weather, Indians will still drink 6 cups of hot tea a day  
6\. If you aren’t saying “What the heck?” at least once a day due to something totally Indian happening to you, you aren’t doing India right  
5\. Its perfectly ok to ask for help when you need it  
4\. The city is a mystery- you may get a general idea of how things go, but you will never fully understand it and that’s kind of beautiful  
3\. Nothing will be more rewarding than selflessly giving  
2\. God is in India whether you see it or not  
1\. India will kick your butt, challenge you, push you, make you 100% certain you will fail and then make you fall in love with it all over again.  
My time in India has been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. I have grown in knowledge of myself, my purpose, and my place in this crazy world. I have built friendships that will last a lifetime. I’ve experienced a different world and truly thought I could not handle it, but I survived. In reality, I didn’t just survive, I thrived in India. India, you will always have a place in my heart, and I’ll see you again some day.”


End file.
